July 2020 Update

I've finally moved! I feel so happy to be in my new place! It was an overwhelming few weeks and once August begins I'll have a lot more time to take care of things.

I apologize if any messages went unanswered or information seemed unclear or inconsistent! My brain has been processing a million things at once and I really want my place to be set up so it's easier for me to focus.

Here's a summary of what's happened in the past few weeks:

• Sweets Paradise x Shining Live group pre-order has closed and I've made the order! Thank you to everyone who joined!
  
  
• I'm now taking requests for All-Star Shop! All items are on the list except for the perfume bottles due to shipping restrictions on flammable liquids. There is no set deadline but orders will close around the time the online shop ends. The form is here, please read the information very carefully!
  
  
• For those of you who ordered items from me in the past year, I've revised my shipping guide in response to the pandemic. Many of you already answered the shipping survey but if you haven't or need to review information, you can see my page here. I plan to start packing and shipping during the month of August. Thank you all for being so patient, I know it's been a long wait for many of you!
  
  
• Translation will be put on hold until I finish setting up my apartment and get myself back into the habit of packing and shipping orders. Thank you all so much for your Ko-fi donations and support, it's really helped a lot during this really expensive move!
  
  

On a personal note, this move [back] to Tokyo was over ten years in the making. I never imagined things would be this way when I got here--not just with the pandemic, but I also never expected to be into something like UtaPri. But now that I'm finally here, I hope it will be even easier and even more enjoyable to contribute to this fandom. Thank you all and I'll continue to work hard (and rest)!

UtaPri 10th Anniversary Update

JP server is ridiculous...there's no way I can ever top tier on there again pic.twitter.com/AEpqswS3m1

— 🎤💜Sooyong🧡🎷 (@bitchfacetokiya) March 30, 2020

(Three months later)

...Don't listen to me whenever I say "never" or "can't" because obviously that's not true...I felt like I HAD to top tier on this event, but I have no regrets over the money spent, because I want this game to continue for a long time (and I hadn’t really paid for this game in a while anyway). 

Now that the event is over and I can get some rest, as promised I have a lot of updates:

• There’s one new translation up for Secret Garden Party, which is Ren’s story! I already had it done weeks ago but felt like I needed to post it before the Shining Live event started. I have the next one in draft form right now, but I’m not sure when I’ll get back to translation since I need to focus on moving and shopping for my apartment. You can see this translation and my previous ones from this series on my Ko-fi.
  
  
• The Shining Live x Sweets Paradise group order sign-up will be up in a few days. You can see the items here, towards the bottom of the page (sorry the food and cookies aren’t available of course). The items will be released after August, though the website doesn't say exactly when. For the can badges, there are two versions--a holofoil version and a plain version. I'm guessing the holofoil ones are more difficult to trade for, so if you order these just expect to get a plain one, but maybe you'll get lucky! 
  
  
• You may have seen it on my Twitter, but the Prince Cats are finally here! Unlike the previous order, none of the Cats come in individual boxes, which is good for me since I need to move as few boxes as possible. If you ordered a Special version Prince Cat with the pose-able skeleton, I will put it in a box when it’s time to ship. Normal Cats and the Special mini Cats will be wrapped in cushion and packed in shipping bags unless you’ve ordered other items; in that case they may be shipped in a box as well.
  
  
• USA shipping is still halted, unfortunately. With everything that's going on in multiple cities, it doesn't seem like anything will change before summer is over. If my apartment space gets overwhelmed, I'll start looking at surface mail.
  
  
• I've gotten a few inquiries about making custom proxy purchases online for items outside of group orders. I usually accept or decline these requests on an individual basis depending on the item, and in the future I would like to take more requests for items like CDs. But right now I'm extremely busy focused on what I have on my hands now, so if you can use a proxy service please go to them first!
  
  

That's it for current news, now...for 10th Anniversary. I was so busy wrapping up the Ren event that I didn't take a lot of time to digest all of the information right away, but now that I have I can let everyone know what my plans are!

• Probably the most important: The All-Star Shop, which has taken the place of the Shining Store this summer (the Shining Store will be during the winter this year). I will be entering the lottery to visit the store, although I don't have high hopes for being able to visit during the earliest time. I'll probably focus on trading items first, but once they have item information up I hope to be able to take requests as quickly as I can! **I won't be taking orders for the Idol Produce Fragrance because perfume is prohibited from overseas shipping. I don't know if it's completely impossible, but I would recommend doing some research to find out since I simply don't have time to figure out how to work around the rules.**
  
  
• I also hope to visit Q-Pot for the cafe, but I may also try to visit the item shop as well. If anyone is interested in buying whatever accessories they will have on sale, I plan to accommodate for that! Of course they'll likely be doing an online order afterwards and I'll be taking requests for that time as well.
  
  
• I plan to buy the 10th Anniversary Book, and I really hope that you all buy it as well to support Broccoli! Just like with the 5th Anniversary book, I won't be translating the entire thing but I'll be looking through the book to translate information that I find interesting. Since I'm working a day job now I may not be as productive as I was about 3 years ago, but we'll see!
  

As more information about 10th Anniversary events are revealed I'll announce more plans! For now I'm still committed to doing group orders until my new apartment space is filled up! Happy 10th Anniversary and fingers crossed for a better second half of 2020!☆

June 2020 Update

I'm overwhelmed!!!

There, I've said it.

Nonetheless, I'm committed to seeing everything through, even if it takes a while. And yes, I'll rest too! So here's what's on my plate in regards to UtaPri:

• Translations: I'm still thinking of them. I know this isn't as important as everything else right now, but I feel like I need to do them to try to get my mind off of other things every once in a while. Once Secret Garden Party is done, I will be taking a break from translating for a while.
  
• Donations: I cannot thank you enough for the contributions on my Ko-fi page!! I'm so, so grateful! My next goal is up on my page and outlines the next step in the moving process for my apartment!
  
• Group order shipping (excluding USA): I know I said I would look at other non-U.S.A. countries about shipping before, sorry I hadn't! I thought it would be easier to wait until things calmed down and after Japan reopened (which they have started doing this month). I've checked the latest list of countries and a few of them seem to have reopened, so I'll be working on that this month! Yay! Please once again give me some time before I start sending shipping invoices!
  
• Group orders for U.S.A.: There's still a suspension on shipping, and because I'm concerned about the security of packages right now, I'll continue to monitor the situation.
  
• Group order item arrival: Maji Love Kingdom KumaPri Plush Bears just arrived! Not too many people ordered, but it's a large box. So far I haven't received any other information about delayed arrivals.

I've been running on very little sleep for the past few days, I imagine many of you are under stress as well! Please stay safe, and get rest!! We're almost halfway through the year! ☆