Howdy! Im Blowfish a german afficiando of figures,manga,anime and anything else that is hailing from the land of the rising sun.
Check out my About Page for more Information.I hope youll enjoy your stay on my little Blog ^_^b
Yamato Nadeshiko Sakura
I promised a new figure review on thursday and Ive finally found the time to post it! Its the lovely Sakura Matou from Fate Stay/Night doing what shes best at: beeing a Yamato Nadeshiko.I bet you didnt see that one coming huh? Hit the Jump to read a review of a 3 year old figure!
Everybody and their Grandma knows Fate Stay/Night and I dont think that I have to explain the money making machine that it is.Out of the three main heroines Sakura always got the end of the stick and ranked in last.I cant tell whats more attractive about Rin or Saber but in my opinion those two are duller characters than Sakura.Maybe its Sakuras “plain” look or her more than troubled past but I think that she deserves more Love than she actually gets.
She is the typical plain childhood friend character whos in love with the lead that happens to appear in every harem anime/eroge and is indeed a flat character during the Fate and Unlimited Blade Works Route without any real personality.The last Route Heavens Feel is where she shines and you finally get to know the real Sakura and discover that she isnt what you thought shed be.I dont intend to write more or even spoiler the three people who dont know her “secret” though and wanna talk more about her figure.
Good Smile Company decided to go with the “caring childhood friend who just comes home from shopping with a bag full of delicous food” look.The Fate Stay/Night franchise usually spawns a shitload of figures with different fetishized outfits but Sakura has been pretty much spared except of a few exceptions like a swimsuit or this:
I wholeheartly approve of this figure
Back to the figure I own and can actually afford without losing a kidney: Back when I was searching for a nice figure of Sakura is was basically torn between this figure and Alters “Battle Suit Ver.” and asked LovelyDuckie for advice since show owns both figures.In the End I settled with the figure you see because Alters figure wasnt as detailed as hoped and GSC`s Sakura delivered in that department + bigger and as everyone knows the bigger the better! ( Do I hear some girls giggling?)
Sakura is as a matter of fact the oldest figure I own beeing released in 11/06 despite the fact I bought her last year at a discounted price during one of HLJs Sale.Poor Sakura was months in their bargain bin and this seems to prove her unpopularity with the Otaku crowd.
I cant say much about Figures from the year 2006 but as far as I can tell she aged rather well then other figures beyond the 3 years+ mark.The paintjob of the figure is rather flat consisting of only a few colours and theres little to no shading to give the figure a bit more depth,but that doesnt make her unappealing.One of the biggest drawbacks for me was the fact that her dress is in fact molded from black plastic.It has the tendency to eat up the light and stands out from the rest of the figure quite a bit.In stark contrast is the plastic bag that shes carrying and that has been done with the outmost care and is one of my favorite things about this figure.You can see the items she bought for tonights dinner through it and even read the letters “Cookies” on one of the boxes.Her Schoolbag looks nice aswell bt it isnt really a challenge to make something like that look nice.I dont like the way they realized the blush on her face but thats just a matter of personal preference and is done quite often in this way.
All in all she was a real steal for 25€ considering her size and while simple shes full of nice little details that make me like her alot.
To end this review that probably noone cares about Ill leave you with some more pictures of this simple yet satisfying figure 
Love that bag
Sadly my Pictures cant show the awesomeness of the bag
I heard that sticking leeks up your butt is a good luck charm.Maybe she should do that to charm Shirou?
Panchira!
I tried to capture Sakuras other Side with these 2 Shots
Lets talk a bit about DHL now that I am through with the Review.DHL is a daughter company of our German Post and handles therefore the normal and express shippings.This means that all shipments from Japan end up beeing delivered by DHL to me.Ive encountered various Problems with them through the time like not having change on them but it was never as bad as the last time.My latest package was to be delivered to me this wednesday and I wasnt at home at that time so it went back to the warehouse.Thats no big deal so far but the delivery guy didnt leave a note and if I wouldnt have had checked the tracking I woulndt have known that there was a delivery attempt.I called DHL on their line that charges 14 cent a minute and set up a new delivery date for last friday in the timeframe from 17:00-22:00.The next day(thursday) I check the tracking of the package for some unknown reason and it tells me that they attempted to deliver the package again.Like the last time the driver didnt leave a notice or something similar.I call them again on their line and they tell me that they have no Idea what happened and reconfirm the delivery time for friday.The next day I rush home from work and arrive at my flat at 16:00.At around 18:00 I check the tracking again and what do I see? A Failed delivery attempt at 17:04! I was home at that time,my bell worked and my name is clearly written at the doorbell yet it failed???
The driver didnt leave a note again and I start to doubt that he actually even tries to deliver the package to me.I call yet again at their line and they once again tell me that they have no idea whats going on and that theyll deliver it again on saturday.On Saturday the Driver finally shows up,has no change and leaves with more money than neccessary.
>.<
Seriously? What kinda service is that for a paying customer who spends some pretty cash on an EMS Shipment?
Has anybody else experienced problems like these?
Anyways finally Ive gotten the following things in my collection:
Delicious Loot is delicious
While were talking delicious…Check out Urishima`s Blog for some mouthwatering recipes!He finally got his butt up and posts again ^^
Pussyfoot Lovers
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Q (84)
Optic (75)
Persocom (72)
phossil (65)
hikky (60)
Uhhhh >.< SRSLY I HAD THIS TOO!
I was at home. Even my MOM and the tracking saied "No one was there to take the package". I though because its Saturday, it goes to the German Costoum. I was so really pissed that I had to go there again for something stupid again. I even checked the tracking again.
But at Monday something really nice happened: At 18:00 my mom said I have package. Usually there is no post at this time (normally from 9-10 DHL, DPD from 12-15 and UPS too). But I got so my Asuka. Pfui. First time I had not to go there on my second Japan Online Shopping. And all that began in the first week of the year.
Ah btw: DPD is now like a bitch too. Where I ordered from Archonia, I had the package on the following work day. Now they need 3 days. So I have to wait for my BRS thouse awful hours of waiting.
To the figure:
I think she still looks great. Maybe her eyes looks empty, but still nice details for 06. I didn't thought there would be any SM version out there! xD
And I see an BRS too… I WILL MY ONE NOAW!
GREW´s last blog ..Mission… somehow accomplished
Posted on January 17th, 2010 at 23:59
My delivery man also often forgets to leave a message but at least the next delivery then normally works or I simply drive to the delivery warehouse to get it myself (it’s a ~ 12 minute ride over the autobahn^^).
Regarding the figure: Looks very nice but I’m also one of the guys who prefer Saber and Rin. I really disliked Sakura in Heaven’s Feel…
Posted on January 18th, 2010 at 00:42
Honestly she’s not a bad figure considering how old she is. She might not be super exciting but the figure portrays her nicely. The bag does give her a nice touch. She reminds me of a Kotobukiya figure for some reason. Then again that was GSC in 2006. My Kanako Ohno came out in the same year and for some reason I like it despite it’s downfalls as well. I’ve yet to actually play Fate/Stay Night, so I’m not familiar with Sakura’s route, but there’s nothing wrong with liking characters that didn’t get enough love. Sometimes they’re the best ones and only fall into the ignored pile because they weren’t given enough screen time.
Posted on January 18th, 2010 at 08:31
Ahh, the Type Moon face, that brings back memories. You don’t see the Type Moon face often these days, or any of the Fate/stay night characters not named Saber, now that I think about it. When was the last time a Rin figure got released (not counting the Dollfie)? She needs more love and Rider definitely needs more love and Sakura needs more love (especially bondage suit Sakura). Grocery-shopping Sakura is cute, though. Maybe if she wore racier underpants, she’d be more popular.
Postal service can be really aggravating. When I got Saber Lily, the postman came early in the morning when I was asleep and I didn’t hear him, and he didn’t bother leaving a note. I had to go to the USPS website and reschedule delivery for the next Monday. Then I had this other Saber figure which I ordered recently, and it sat in Japan for two weeks before they finally figured out it was supposed to go to America. That was pretty annoying given that I spent something like 7,500 yen on shipping. It sounds like my problems aren’t even in the same league as yours, though. Having to pay to call up the delivery service is nuts; the USPS here takes toll-free phone calls from something like 7:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night (granted, the last time I called, I was on hold for something like half an hour).
Tier´s last blog ..KOS-MOS from Xenosaga III (1/4 Scale Version)
Posted on January 18th, 2010 at 08:37
Love the loot!!!
I’ve never encounter such problem here in Toronto Canada… The postal service here is pretty good not bad, but sometimes there are problems…like EMS should take roughly 5 days or so. When shipping EMS for items from China…takes way too long…sometimes more than 2 weeks…
Sadly, mail doesn’t come on weekends which I wish it does, makes it easier to receive loot…
The major problem here is the service/ custom tax. It’s hell sometimes when paying extra for loot…
Really nice shoot you did!!!
Maybe I should consider on looking for Sakura…
Rin´s last blog ..First loot of 2010
Posted on January 18th, 2010 at 09:30
This figure is maybe a little simply but faithfull at the character. Thank a lot for this new review ^^ I like your black background (l)
Leonia´s last blog ..Yomako Sensei – Alter (Tsunami3k)
Posted on January 18th, 2010 at 09:49
An unexpected character ^^ I still love Saber Lyli more because she’s wielding weapons (he he) but sometimes a simpler figure is good too.
Wouldn’t expose her without her dress thought.
Even if it’s an old one, details are quite worked nicely. Plastic bag from the grocery store is very sweet ^^
She doesn’t have the best buttocks i have seen so far but considering how old she is, it’s not that bad
About deliveries … i consider myself to be lucky. I don’t have major issues to report so far. I had just one package who got lost and i never received it. Was from United States but disappeared in Europe.
In any case postman and delivery companies are not very careful and often packages are very damaged or incredibly dirty.
Katsura-chan´s last blog ..Endoh Ifrina Photos Special (NSFW at all!!)
Posted on January 18th, 2010 at 12:44
“The bigger the better” … hahahaha! Yes you heard a girl laughing. Too big it’s not the best thing either. Mouhahahha!:)
You figure out quickly that Sakura is a figure released years ago because of the paint with no effects whatsoever. But despite this, she stays pretty and i like her pose.
25 euro is a good deal
For DHL, none of my packages use this service. It’s always the local post service who make my deliveries and everything went well so far.
In any case, the delivery man is not serious if he doesn’t show up at your place… it’s shameful!
Glad you finally got your BRS along with other nice things in relation with Queen’s Blade! hey hey
lylibellule´s last blog ..Nendoroid… when kawaii invade our world!
Posted on January 18th, 2010 at 15:22
Hey, thanks a bunch dude. Will do the same to ya in my Kampfer review
Posted on January 18th, 2010 at 16:52
DHL closed up shop here in the US. We still have to put up with lousy service from UPS, Fedex, and the USPS. All have their own problems… USPS recently tried to deliver an EMS package when I was away and even though I explicitly told them to leave international packages at my apartment’s main office, they did not. Now I have to drive 30 minutes out of my work before work to pick it up at the post office… Quite annoying!
Oh, nice figure too ^^. I didn’t really like her character though ^^;
anonymous_object´s last blog ..The Problem with Exclusives
Posted on January 18th, 2010 at 20:06
Luckily haven’t had any deliveries through DHL yet, only DPD, Ems and Fedex. Out of those I praise DPD, their service is stellar (though perhaps it helps their shipments are always national). and if I have issues with Ems it’s usually thanks to Belgian customs (who suck).
Nice figure of Sakura, does look like it’s well made with a good finish though it doesn’t really stand out since well yeah Sakura does look quite plain compared to the other Fate/stay night characters. Do like Sakura the most after Rider though. Had a Sakura bikini figure by Clayz but sold it, it wasn’t as well done as this Alter figure though.
Smithy´s last blog ..Aria sketch art by Kisetsu
Posted on January 18th, 2010 at 22:27
You know, what’s always been appealing to me about this particular figure is the shopping bag. It’s a silly thing to be like oooh, what a nicely done shopping bag, but it’s different.
Posted on January 19th, 2010 at 00:45
The bag adds realistic to the figure. I think I would prefer having Sakura without her skirt ^^
phossil´s last blog ..Eureka Seven Gallery
Posted on January 19th, 2010 at 02:19
LOL, DHL means “TAX ME!!!” according to the Canadian customs. You can be DHL’ing your 5 year old socks and still get taxed $100. Haven’t had any problem with DHL aside from how outrageous customs charges can be, but they persistently try to deliver packages at 9am to my place every time.
Speaking of this figure, I was quite tempted to buy her from the sale last year, but she was just too plain and boring. I don’t know shit about Fate/Stay Night, and I don’t know why people are so crazy about Saber and Rin neither. Saber looks cool with her armour, and that’s all.
Tommy´s last blog ..Broken Pegs
Posted on January 19th, 2010 at 03:08
Wow, that’s one incredibly realistic plastic bag. I love Sakura and all, but you can feel the contours of the food inside just by looking at it! And the translucency is perfect! XD
ETERNAL´s last blog ..Contextualizing Jargon: The Secret to In-Universe Writing
Posted on January 19th, 2010 at 04:15
The plastic bag looks really… plasticky. Haha, I like it too:)
Oh, and “Fate Stay/Night franchise usually spawns a shitload of figures”… I could say the same about Touhou. Way too much Touhou on Danbooru for me… ok that’s a little different from what you meant there, but meh, hehe:P
aprilius20´s last blog ..Spice and Wolf II: Futures Trading, Medieval Politics, and Inter-Species Courtship
Posted on January 19th, 2010 at 19:17
@GREW
Seems like I am not the only one that has Problems with Lazy Delivery Drivers.
We pay a good sum of money for their service and basically recieve worse service than mail by sea.
Well its nice to know that you got youre Asuka by suprise.Thats always a nice suprise.
Hope your BRS Arrives soon
@TMSIDR
Ah well its a good half hour ride for me over the Autobahn to Ratingen and well its pretty much unaccetable that I am paying alot of money for express shipping and get some third rate service with many delays.
So you didnt like Sakura?Personalitywise or because shes “unclean”?
I always get the feeling that shes getting this neglected because she doesnt fit the Otaku Ideal of the holy virgin.Id totally understand if you simply didnt like her cliche personality though.Fate Stay/Night isnt very original when it comes to character archetypes ^^;
@Persocom
Ah you didnt play F S/N yet?
I think youll hear this often enough but give the Novel a chance since the Anime doesnt do the Visual Novel justice.The Fate Route is your standart boring lore but Heavens Feel and especially Unlimited Bladeworks rock my socks off.
Its interesting to see how much the figure manufacturers evolved isnt it? Sadly the prices jumped up with the better craftmanship
@Tier
What were facing is the fact that companies have a zero risk policy and play it save by releasing the same true and tested character over and over instead of doing something different.Id like to see some more figures aswell and especially Rider would get a sweet spot in my collection.
Yeah her undies are from the 3 years old,saggy as hell but theyre so comfortable line.As far as I am concerned I am not very interested in white panties but add some skimpy details or some colour and I am all in.I approve of nopan of course as well if the figures sculpted the right way.
.What bothers me the most about our lousy service is that I am paying ALOT of cash for it and they dont deliver said service.Whenever I see their campaigns I could puke all day long.Its typical Corporate bullshit that they dont adhere to anyway.
@rin
We have to pay custom tax aswell.Its 19% in general and +6% if youre above 150€.
They slow down deliveries alot and I wish theyd work more efficently.
Atleast the Canadian Postal Service seems to deliver quality unlike dreaded DHL
@Leonia
Yeah,I know that I didnt deliver too many Reviews lately but im honestly working on it hard.To be honest I wasnt too happy with my black background but my batteries died during the shoot and I had to use what I got up until then.
@Zura-chan
Saber Lyli?
Is there a secret about our Lylibelulle I dont know yet? XD
Nah, I am more a fan of butt kicking girls aswell but you need some diversity from time to time and well this figure was perfectly suited for that.
I dont care too much about her butt since I dont display her in cast-off mode anyway.Actually all of my figures are fully clothed except for QB figures that I still have to review ^^
@Lyli
Finally someone reacted to my naughty Joke XD
Luckily we guys dont have to worry about that to much except well maybe self esteem ^^
Yeah,shes definetly an oldie but I like her nevetheless.There are just so much little details I like about her that make up for her shortcomings in the paint department.
Youre lucky that Belgium isnt using DHL.So is DPD delivering in Belgium?Thats how Archonia sends me my packages.And yup yummy QB Stuff included
@Anony
Yeah,thats basically the same thing i have to do when they fail to deliver and I cant wait for another delivery date.Happened to me the other day with another order ^^;
@Smithy
German cutsoms sucks as much as the belgian does and often delays my deliveries unneccassary.As far as DPD is concerned Im perfectly happy with them so far.Only had a few experiences with them through DPD and was never disappointed.
Well theres nothing you can do about the plain childhood friend character to make it stand out since its well designed to look plain.Rider is definately a yummy zesty servant but I dont count her in as one of the main girls.On the sexyness scale shes number one though
@superrats
I am glad that I am not the only one that is fascinated by a platic grocery shopping bag.Its just so well done that it steals sakura the show
@phossil
ECCHI!
@Tommy
Well you basically get everything Taxed here…If youre lucky and the items worth under 22 Euro you wont be taxed otherwise your wallet will be raped.
As far as I am concerned I dont have the cult-like Love for Fate Stay/Night and its characters either.Its a nice story and all but the girls arent really that diverse to deserve such a following
@Eternal
Yeah,I feel the same way too.Its such an awesome piece of craftmanship that my mouth waters from the ingredients in the bag
@Aprilius
There are definately some franchises that print cash and well we usually get an overload of those from everywhere be it figures,images or tissuecovers.
Her bag is so mighty fine I could look at it all day ^^
Posted on January 19th, 2010 at 21:18
@blowfish:
the local post office is across the street so I would get all packages the same day if they just deliver it there…so I would prefer if EMS would change to standard after entering Germany^^. I also hate driving to next warehouse but if the package arrives on monday and the next I could get it is saturday….
spoilers ahead^^
I didn’t like Sakura because she always seems to be nice girl but she also gets very destructive against innocent people even after she understands what her body does while she’s sleeping. I think I even disliked Shirous reaction on all this even less…
Furthermore, I normally don’t like the cliche nice girls in animes (with some exceptions) and I’m most times into the tsundere characters, so Sakura never had a real chance^^
TMSIDR´s last blog ..Hanamaru Kindergarten gibt’s auch bald in blau
Posted on January 19th, 2010 at 21:50
It’s really a classic figure with some nice aspects, the bag for example is quite amazing and well detailed ^_^
Posted on January 20th, 2010 at 17:55
@Blowfish : Packages are usually shipped by the Belgian Post, at least for my region. But DPD also assure a delivery service but reserved to more private shipments or between companies.
I encounter them twice, especially when ordering on Archonia. Shipments arrived with no problem but on the contrary, they deliver until 6PM and frankly i was afraid to go out all day long. Normal Posting always deliver between 9AM and 11AM.
Posted on January 21st, 2010 at 12:22
Not sure if it just me but ur site looks really nice on a mac. xD
Sadly I don’t know much about her and I’ve never been a big enough Fate/stay night fan to find out more. I could say the same about Saber, Rin and the other characters. When I see random news, it’s usually about Saber. lol
I’m sure u already read about my first delivery service from DHL on my first Amazon Japan loot. The good side I see from this is, u didn’t get a damaged package which is the worst thing to top it off after all these issues.
Other than their speedy services, the rest just fails.
Optic´s last blog ..Saber ~Triumphant Excalibur~
Posted on January 21st, 2010 at 16:34
GRATS on BRS! I did like that Sakura figure, but in the end when I had to cut back on figures (I ran out of room) I let her go to another home. I liked her…but I would rather have sacrificed her over others I owned. Her large scale was one of the best things about her. I liked having her on my top shelf too.
I really need to play this game, these characters are so much more then what I saw in the anime and I really want to learn more about them.
lovelyduckie´s last blog ..Last Few Pre-Orders
Posted on January 21st, 2010 at 20:35
>talk about sakura being a yamato nadeshiko
>take pictures of her in slutty poses
hahaohdesire.jpg
Posted on January 22nd, 2010 at 02:32
It’s a nice figure albeit a bit boring for me. I feel like her pose, her face, and her costumes have been done often before. The bondage figure, however, is really really pretty.
Yi´s last blog ..The Horror World of Junji Ito
Posted on January 23rd, 2010 at 06:04
I almost bought this when she was on sale as HLJ that time, but the lack of money hold me back. =P She is a real steal at that sale price.
Anyway speaking of shipping issue, I once had a package lost through DHL. >.< Luckily it wasn't something very important or expensive. And the ironic thing is that lost package is my one and only parcel through DHL and it was lost. LOL. No DHL for me again. Had no choice back then since they only provide DHL. Nowadays, all my packages are send though ems. Albeit a little expensive, service is excellent!
Chappy´s last blog ..“为自己而活”， 谈何容易？
Posted on January 23rd, 2010 at 07:38
@TMSIDR
Yeah,that would be great!
I did the same a few days ago when I had a delivery coming on monday and the next day I could get it would have been Saturday ^^;;
Those are some very valid points about Sakura.As far as I am concerned the UWB Route is my favorite since I can relate how people behave in that one.Shirous and Sakuras behavior in Heavens Feel is unbelievable at best and irresponsible at the worst times.
I think this is a problem of japanese storytelling though that basically only knows extremes to show how desolate,empty and tortured her character is after all.
Dont get me wrong I am not a big fan of stereotypical character archetypes either but F S/N is chock full of it and out of the cast Sakura is imho the most interesting one since she brings atleast some variations.
As far as I am concerend I totally cant stand tsunderes but im fine with tomboys
@Belala
Yup,the bag is teh awesome
@Lyli
Haha I know that feeling that you dont want to leave your house because you fear that you might miss the delivery.People that still live with their parents are at an advantage here ^^
@Optic
Uh I never checked my site on a mac but honestly I dont know anyone who owns a Mac XD
Well,I can see how Sakura is probably the most boring character out of the cast when you dont know the back story.The other characters have the advantage of a more interesting character design on their side.
Yup I do remember that article but I never had a parcel in such a bad shape by them.
Theres nothing I can do about it though since its the delivery servuce of our german post
@LovelyDuckie
Sometimes we have to part with things we do like after all.I hope she has a nice new home with people who love her as much as you do XD
I can only recommend to play the VN!
@Shin
:3
@Yi
The problem about her design is that shes suppose to be the grey mouse that isnt really interesting ^^
Yup,Id buy that bondage figure immediately in fact id vote for all girls having to wear that outfit
@Chappy
Sadly regular mail and EMS are both handled by EMS over here and I am regularly having problems with my EMS shippings by DHL.Its a real bummer that one of your parcels got lost in transistion and I hope that they replaced it for you
Posted on January 23rd, 2010 at 17:37
Delivery services sux here too
Glad you bought Sakura, i nearly bought her too but couldn’t ^^
Love her design and i prefer her more than Saber … I became so bored reading only about Saber; seeing two new Saber figures each month … I’m starting to hate her :s
Anyway i love the plastic bag and i love your pics, especially the one of her face, good work
And i’m glad you finally got your Black Rock !
Take care friend
James´s last blog ..Miyafuji Yoshika 1/8 (Alter) review
Posted on January 25th, 2010 at 14:45
I’d like to think that most of the figures I sold found good homes.
lovelyduckie´s last blog ..My Manga Collection’s “Worth” and Recent Purchases
Posted on January 25th, 2010 at 16:28
A Sakura figure, now that’s a bit unusual since not many people have taken an interest on her. This one seems to be faithful to the visual novel ’cause of the face.
Really like the plastic bag – one side of the content is pushing against the bag and the paintwork makes it seem like its semi-transparent, which I really like.
Q´s last blog ..figma repair
Posted on January 29th, 2010 at 19:40
@Blowfish: I think it has more to do with “what’s in” in the otaku world. I can name many examples of not too great stories with a not too diverse cast…but I’ll leave it at that.
Tommy´s last blog ..January Pre-orders update ~ Ordered and Wished
Posted on January 30th, 2010 at 07:13
@James
Honestly Saber is the most bring character out of the whole cast in my opinion.Everybody is based on established character archetypes but atleast bring something new in but Saber is just…Saber
Im glad that I am not alone
Thanks for the praise ^^
@lovelyduckie
They sure are.I bet theyre playing right now with their new PVC friends ^^
@Q
I guess Sakura is a bit too successfull in beeing the grey mouse that all the fanboys simply overlook her.I do like her alot but its far from Fanboyism.
.That bag is simply stunning isnt it? I could look at it all day
@Tommy
I guess youre reffering to the sheep mentality?
Its sometimes scary how much power a few people have over the cash of so many people.In some extreme cases you could label a can of trash with a franchise and still sell it off
Posted on February 15th, 2010 at 16:59
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