Yami reflecting on Year 2017

 Time sure goes so fast and it has been already 8 Years since Realm of Darkness started its Journey. 2017 is another important chapter for this blog and myself as i turn a new leaf on my life. Early this year i somehow managed to land a job in Hobby Industry and very grateful for the opportunity. The job itself might not be that perfect but getting surrounded with toys everyday is certainly a Collector's wildest dream! And by working in the Hobby Industry, Realm of Darkness itself saw some increase in activity compared to previous 3-4 years. For 2018 i don't really have much target but hopefully i can deliver more Quality Review for this blog. As much as i see storm brewing in 2018 onward for the toy industry, maintain your passion in toys and keep collecting! Here is my Hauls from the recent second half of this year

1/100 MG Plan 303E Deepstriker

 This probably one of the last thing i expect to get MG Treatment even though i got informant leak few months ago. But as a part of 30th year anniversary of Hajime Katoki Sentinel Gundam works, Bandai just decided to release MG Deepstriker. The kit will be released on March Next year while there are no price information yet, i heard it will cost around 20000 Yen though it could be higher. Deepstriker is the variant of S Gundam fitted with equipment for Solo operations deep into Enemy Territory, it bears some similarity to Dendrobium Gundam but the roles are kinda different i suppose. I won't be even thinking to get this kit but  If the Deep Striker has parts that can be switched with EX-S, it would have been great.

1/7 Lancer Kiyohime Figurine

 Since i played Fate Grand Order last month, i keep more in tune with the merchandises related to this Hit Mobile Phone Game. One of the new Servant from the game that caught my interest is Kiyohime and her Summer event version is getting a figure treatment by Phat Company. The figure will be released on August next year with the 14800 Yen Price tag. Long gone the days of  affordable figurine as i had Caster Tamamo made by Phat for the half price of this figurine. In the FGO Game, Kiyohime original class is Berserker though she fought like Caster and in the Summer Event she changed into Lancer class which the one that got the figure treatment. Kiyohime is depicted as Yandere servant yearning for her master's affection since she thought Gudao/Gudako was the reincarnation of her love who she accidentally killed in the past. To be honest i don't mind getting this figure but i still prefer her berserker outfit in particular her second stage one. But i suppose the main deciding point would be the FGO Summer Event which NA server will be getting next year.

SCM Soul of Gold Sagittarius Aiolos Review

 Since i am a Sagittarius i think this is the right opportunity to make a review for my Sagittarius God Cloth. This My First Saint Cloth Myth and likely the last one too since i don't really follow Saint Seiya series. Got this one for 10000 Yen from my company after some cashback campaign which is very good deal for these kind of products. Arguably this a Review of Saint Seiya Myth Cloth product from Non Saint Seiya Follower.

Persona 3 Figma 049 Aigis Review

 Since i got Figma for Makoto Yuki, i might as well complete my collection for Persona 3 which Aigis was the only one left. Aigis, being the flagship mecha waifu, got her Figma back in early days of the Lineup predating way before Makoto Yuki's figma. Since i just need to complete my set, i didn't mind getting a preowned Copy for Aigis. I had a choice between the Ultimax Version or the Regular version and chose the latter. Becose i dont find over encumbered armaments fit the Aesthetics for Aigis who is more suited as precise and lethal killing machine over sheer firepower.

Soul Of Chogokin GX-70 Mazinger Z DC Chrome Noir Ver Mini Review

 Got another chance to do a mini review again since recently we got some Tamashii Nation Exclusive that are requested by my boss to be presented for local toy community for review. As i was asked to watch over the session, i got opportunity to fondle these expensive toys yet again. There are three items for the community to sample and one of them is SOC Mazinger. As I haven't had any SOC in my collection so far, it is a great learning lesson for this High End Toy Lineup by Bandai.

Aoshima 1/48 ARX-8 Laevatein

 It took Three Years for Aoshima to catch up with Kotobukiya but finally they release their 1/48 Laevatein in preparation of the new anime season. The kit will be released on April Next Year with 5800 Yen Price tag, a little bit more expensive than Kotobukiya's take. I will most likely get this kit as my physical representation for Laevatein considering i was pleased with the FMP that i had which were made by Aoshima, To be honest i still prefer Arbalest over Laevatein because the latter got jobbed so much with its little screen time. I hope Aoshima is generous enough to release 1/48 for Belial as well.

1/144 RG Unicorn Mini Review

 Have been asked to assemble RG Unicorn for work purposes and took some liberties of taking some shots for this kit before handing it to my company. Since I only collect 1/100 Scale for gundam. Real Grade is out of my Radar. However i am quite amazed with the progress reached by Bandai's engineering represented by this RG Unicorn. Since the shots for this review is hastily taken, the photo quality is not as good as usual. But i will do it better next time if i have another opportunity.

AFA SG 2017

 This makes my second time i attend Anime Fair Asia convention in Singapore and i suppose working in Toy industry does change your view on this kind of event. While AFA SG is definitely better organized than the indonesian counterpart i find this year's event to be really lacking. What ticks me off the most is that sizable amount of the venue space are used by Kadokawa to spread their rubbish. As for the shopping part in AFA Venue, i find it to be lackluster. I guess Singapore also had a hard time this year as resellers find difficulties to dump off their products considering the major ones still sell stuffs from last year's AFA. I am still willing to give AFA SG a chance but it is not longer a must go event in my book. Unfortunately i doubt it will get any better as Japanese hobby will get more expensive as time goes by.

Yami Starting Fate Grand Order

 Never thought i would touched this Gacha Game but it seems that curiosity gets the better of me. Being an oldguard of Type Moon series, My disdain toward Type Moon with the direction took with Fate series still remains. However as i gave FGO a try for a week, my opinion toward this game got slightly better. Now i can see why this game is one of the most popular Gacha Game out there, and to be honest, the FGO gameplay mechanics is quite good. In a way, Mobage serves really well for Fate as it provides the means to keep the interest of the series high longer than the time length than your regular video game could do. My main gripe with FGO is still with Oversexualized or Historically innacurate characters plaguing the servant Rosters. I am willing to play the game but compromising on the point that i will never use Servant characters that i find to be distasteful which probably constitute around 60-70%. Speaking of SSR, i happen to get Scathach as my first SSR which i even got it from my First roll. And apparently my friend said it will cause some serious amount of Salt because Scathach is one of the most highly sought servant in the game.

HGUC 1/144 MS-15 KG Gyan Krieger

 For Gunpla i only care about 1/100 Scale Master Grade or its equivalent but this is another Exception straight after PG Exia i suppose. Slated for next year as P-Bandai exclusive with 1800 Yen, we are getting a model kit for Gyan Krieger at last! Gyan Krieger is an original Mobile Suit from Gihren's Greed being the Ultimate MS from Gyan family tree, Gyan Krieger serves as the counterpart of Gelgoog Jager should Zeon choose Gyan for its mainstay MS line. In Shin Gihren it is not the best unit Zeon could field in OYW but this thing literally murder everything in Melee! I had nightmares when i play EFSF campaign when facing these units but when i played as Zeon, i steamroll every EFSF unit that caught into melee with Krieger. As much as i love this MS, i won't be getting the kit since i only collect 1/100 Scale kits. Here is the Bios for Gyan Krieger from Shin Gihren

Thermae Romae

 By far this is probably the best manga that was based on Roman Period and it was an award winning too. Ad Astra might come close but Thermae Romae simply is the best of its kind for making a solid series using Bath as the theme which straight makes it one of a kind manga. Taking on the period of Five Good Emperor Period, Thermae Romae narrates the story of a Roman Public Bath Engineer, Lucius Modestus. Whenever Lucius in need of inspiration, he somehow transported into Modern Japan and got into misadventure and gaining his needed inspirations in the process. Using Bath as a manga theme might sound weird but the Mangaka did a good job to keep the story interesting. The Mangaka couldn't done without intimate knowledge of Roman Civilization which she probably got from her study in Italy. Thermae Romae has finished its serialization in 6 Volumes which has got official translation though u can still find it hosted online even though it is harder to find. One of these days i probably give the movie a watch too despite FujiTV cheated the mangaka for her IP right.

1/60 Perfect Grade Exia

 Perfect Grades are usually out of my radar since i only collect MG and its equivalent. But i might as well make an exception for Exia since i get firsthand account on the kit being a perk working at a Toy Company. Slated for December Release PG Exia is released in the commemoration of Gundam 00 series 10th Anniversary and it comes with two versions, Regular and LED costing around 18000 and 32000 respectively. The LED Version is different with previous LED Gunpla as it is capable of changing into different color. Since i got the opportunity to grope around the PG Exia, surprisingly i find Exia's PG design is rather simplistic. From the exterior it doesn't have much difference in terms of structural design when compared to MG but i am sure the inner frame proves otherwise. I thought for PG you don't need to swap the hands anymore but it appears to be otherwise for Exia. The LED Version looks cool when it is lit up but unfortunately personally i dont think it worth extra 14000 Yen. In order to lit up, the PG Exia needs to be attached at the stand base as the power source are stored there. The LED Structure model appears to be the same with PG Unicorn and for Exia's LED it got 3 different lighting modes. I guess highly complex standalone LED unit for PG is still a faraway dream but for Exia i am quite content with my Ignition mode for Exia. Just click the read more button to look at the shot i took for the PG Exia which is not exactly the best.

CMS Corp Yuusha Heroine Collection

 CMS Corp was one of the best supporter for niche mecha series toys and it did great service for Yuusha series. I was lucky that i managed to get the whole set for literally five bucks but at the same time felt sad that how unappreciated these products are. It is a sad thing that CMS Company went bankrupt 3 Years ago and it was quite a mess too.

Metamorforce Baikanfu GET!

 By far this is my most expensive purchase for Toys beating my Huckebein Boxer Model kit which i got for 14000+ Yen. Got this Metamorforce Baikanfu for roughly 38000 Yen which is good enough considering it generally will cost more when Shipping is considered. While i find Revenge of Chronos Anime to be a crappy Mecha series, Baikanfu's Stellar performance in SRW MX is good enough to make me become its Follower. From the first look of the Toy, i feel slightly disappointed with this Sentinel's take on Baikanfu because it sacrifice too much of its articulation. I can't ask for more with the Sculpt but articulation just leave alot to be desired. With the articulation issue haunting this product, Metamorfoce failed to fully surpass Bandai's SOC Baikanfu even though it has the potential. Someday i will definitely do a proper review that the Toy deserves.

Sakura Taisen 2 New Playthrough

 As my Sakura Taisen 1 Playthrough came in full circle, it was the perfect time for me to continue on Sakura Taisen 2 from where was i left off. Barring the Visual department i think Sakura Taisen 2 is the best Sakura Taisen game overall as all of the game aspects are well balanced. In Sakura Taisen 2 the Ninth Chapter is the part where the Game started to focus on One Heroine and you get to pick 4 out of 8 Teikoku Kagekidan Maidens to pursue serious relationship with. Back then i managed to score routes for Sakura, Sumire, Maria and Reni which makes this is my 5th Playthrough. And this time i am able to open the rest of the missing Heroine route which are Iris, Kohran, Kanna and Orihime. It is rather tricky since i have to ignore previous heroines even for my favorite Teikoku Kagekidan Heroine, Sumire. For now i will do abit backtracking to gather some more missing CG for the Heroine but it should be done quite fast.

Indonesia Comic Con 2017

 I think this is one if not the biggest Pop Culture event in Indonesia which is leaning on Western Pop Culture series instead of Japanese one. While i am not interested with Western cartoon series in general, since my company opened up a booth i might as well look around.

Metal Build Arbalest

 With the announcement of new anime season for Full Metal Panic, we will be expecting influx of FMP related merchandise! As for Bandai, they already contribute their part by announcing the release for Metal Build Arbalest. MB Arbalest is planned to be released on March Next Year with price tag around 21000 Yen. It was a strange turn out of event that Laevatein got released first for this Metal Build Lineup before Arbalest. While Full Metal Panic series animation got delayed for 10 Years due to stupid reason, i think the delay prove to be fortituous for Toy Industry as by now they can release better quality product. I would have got this one if i didn't have my complete set of Uruz Squad with the Aoshima Kit. Perhaps we will be even seeing some figurine for Chidori or Tessa soon.

Sakura Taisen 1

 The Storm of Romance under the Cherry Blossom of Taisho Era! It has been three years since i get into Sakura Taisen and i really enjoyed every moment that i commit with this series. It was no doubt that Sakura Taisen is a legendary series and doubt there will be another one to reach its level. With my complete journey over the first game i think the series seserve a proper article just like the one i wrote for Sakura Taisen 3. For the first 2 Sakura Taisen i played them on PSP which is great experience for being able to play such great series on the go.

Sakura Taisen 1 Heroine CG

Sakura Taisen 1 Ending CG

• Sakura
• Sumire
• Maria
• Iris
• Li Kohran
• Kanna

Kento Ankokuden Cestvs

 Not as good as Thermae Romae but it is another interesting take on Roman Empire period. Taken the setting during Emperor Nero Rule, Kento Ankokuden Cestvs tells the story of a young slave Gladiator named Cestvs/Cestus who under tutelage of former Champion Gladiator fights for his freedom as a Pugilist. While the author did try to balance the historical element and boxing scene, the manga ends up to be Roman Period version of Hajime no Ippo. To be honest the main weakness of the manga is that it uses modern people mentality for the protagonist personality which just doesn't work in a harsh setting for Roman Period Slaves. The manga starts out promising but ends up mostly to be unrealistic as Praetors fight with their fist and the main antagonist is pretty much Raoh's clone. The Ankokuden serialization finished in 15 Volumes but later continue as second series called Kento Shitouden where the main protagonist is already full fledged adult pugilist. One of my favorite game called Gladiator Rising definitely took some inspiration from this series.

Yuusha Keisatsu J-Decker

 Updating this Post to match with my other previous Yuusha series articles. Brave Police J-Decker was my Second Yuusha series after Gaogaigar and my opinion do change slightly after watching most of the Yuusha entries. Being the 5th entry of Yuusha series, J-Decker's formula is highly similar with its predecessor, Mightgaine but comes with Law Enforcement flavor this time. J-Decker is the second Yuusha title after Mightgaine that has its Yuusha Protagonists being created by human instead of mysterious alien robots. But for J-Decker, Sunrise one upped their game and have the Yuushas got some semblance of distinct personality instead of merely justice fighting robots.

Sakura Taisen 1 Kanna Ending Get!

 Its like almost a year already since i got my fix of Sakura Taisen and now i am going back to the first game. Before i touched Sakura Taisen 3 i have cleared 4 out of 6 Heroines ending leaving Kanna and Kohran. For my fifth playthrough i got through Kirishima Kanna's route who is the Strongest member of Hanagumi in physical department. In terms of personality Kanna is tomboyish and down to earth which is complete opposite of Sumire so they are often at odds with each other. But even a tomboy karate junkie like Kanna is unable to resist Ichiro Ogami's charm and manliness. Though to be honest i find Kanna is the least suitable love interest for Ogami in Hanagumi, as they work better as reliable buddies who got each other back. But lets see how Kanna's route plays out in Sakura Taisen 2. Interestingly Kanna's Voice Actor is probably more well known with her role as Monkey D Luffy from the popular mainstream work One Piece.  In near future i will rewrite a proper article for Sakura Taisen 1 since i did the coverage for the third game already and might as well do one for each title. I might even do another Iris Route just to gather sufficient assets for the future article.

Mage Knight Get!

 Mage Knight is one of the boardgame that i had been aiming to add into my collection ever since i get into this hobby and at last i got my own copy. I generally collect either Sci-fi, Horror or Fantasy themed Boardgame in my collection and apparently Mage Knight is one of the best Fantasy themed out there especially for Solo game. Vlaada Chvatil is one of the most famous Boardgame designer out there and out of his creations i owned Space Alert as well despite havent got a chance to play it but at least have played Codenames. Its hard to find a free time to play since i work six days a week but will look for an opportunity to play one of these day.

Super Minipla King J-Der

 As I appreciate Yuusha series more by this time, i am looking for a suitable Collectible Toys from these series. I generally find Super Robot Chogokin to be the best option but certain Mechas  can't make it with the lineup specifications. While King J-Der wont make it in SRC, Bandai manage to get around and release this guy in Minipla Format. The King J-Der Minipla was open for preorder a while ago with price tag around 12000 Yen and stands around 28 Cm tall when fully assembled. The Minipla also come with fully Transformable J-Ark and J-Phoenix, standing as tall as a Perfect Grade, it would be quite an impressive display. So Far the minipla lineup only release toy from Super Sentai and Gaogaigar series. But with this lineup Bandai probably find a way to release Great Mecha toys that are not too mainstream without putting up too much cost from their side. I regretted that i didn't make it with the preorder this time but Hopefully Bandai will open another one. In the Tv series, King J-Der is a powerful ally of Gaogaigar and its role resemble with Captain Shark from Goldran. And now i am still waiting for Bandai to release the rest of the Yuusha SRC for the main protagonists especially Fire Dagwon and Goldran.

Kemono Friends

 I tend to steer away from Moeshit in general but the recent scandal involving Kadokawa piqued my interest on a series called Kemono Friends. As a moe series Kemono Friends was not that special considering Kemonomimi has existed in Japan for a while already but the series is Lighthearted and have some nice worldbuilding. The premise of Kemono Friend is about an amnesiac girl who is accompanied by anthropomorphic Beast Girl named Serval trying to find her identity. Along the way the girl and Serval befriend more beast girls and solving problems along the way. What makes people gettting interested with Kemono Friends is that it was very low budget anime that was expected to fail by Kadokawa but somehow becomes a sleeper hit due to the director's effort. I don't like Moeshit but i from watching Kemono Friends, there is no doubt that the anime was a labour of passion. Then when the Kadokawa planned for the series second season the original director was fired from the project and no doubt it sparked outrage. I don't really like Kadokawa because they pollute the mainstream anime market with Moeshits like Kancolle and they certainly deserve the setbacks caused by this scandal. Then again this kind of scandal is a small pebble for Kadokawa but let see how many of these small pebbles they can endure.

Persona 3 Figma 322 Makoto Yuki Review

 Our Beloved Emo Blue Haired Protagonist is here!

Persona 3 Movie Thoughts

 Marathoning the 4 movies before prepping review for Figma Makoto Yuki. I don't have much attachment with the movie as it fulfills its purpose just fine. Out of 4 Movies, i find First and Second to be Bland while third is acceptable and the final one to be the best as Makoto Yuki showcase most of his badassness in the final one. I suppose in order to fit in a Movie structure, Persona 3 Movie sacrificed too much in order to fit the mold. As a Movie form it was okay but never able to replace the experience that the original video game gave. The Movie mostly focus on the Makoto Yuki's interaction with his SEES Teammates and Social link part barely covered. Compared to Persona 4 Animation, i think Persona 4 did better in anime media as it complement the original game really well whereas Persona 3 Movie is just straight retelling of some portion of the game. Makoto Yuki in the Movie is too much of a silent protagonist and doesn't show his coolness like Yu Narukami did in the animation. The Movie also totally abandon the romance part which was the one of the main selling point of the game. But at least one thing that the Movie nailed right is the Action Sequence as you get to see the Shadows that the SEES team face are not child's play. Even though Persona 3 Movie didn't do as good as P4A i am always a Persona 3 Fanboy because this where the Persona series starts to be awesome. To be honest after seeing the Japanese Seiyuu Performance in the movie, i think Persona 3 is one of the series that i actually prefer the dub.

Hidamari no Ki

 One of Osamu Tezuka's work that i read recently as the fan-translation has been finished. As expected from the Father of Manga's work, the story is good if the conclusion is rather weak. In this manga you get to see Tezuka's take on the end of Tokugawa era through the relationship between a doctor and samurai. Even though i have read plenty of works on Bakumatsu Era, Hidamari no Ki take on the period is still refreshing. You still get to see the cause and effect behind the fall of Tokugawa Shogunate which is rife with corruption and stagnation. Apparently the Doctor was Tezuka's Ancestor which he literally honor him through this manga. Personally i never like the Samurai protagonist because he is too stubborn to a fault but i am rather curious how does he end up in the end. If you want to read Tezuka's work Hidamari no Ki is quite easy to get into.

Mospeada RIOBOT 1/12 Ride Armor

 I have been looking forward to Sentinel take on Mospeada Ride Armor ever since i saw the Prototype early this year. Just today Sentinel made its release announcement, the RIOBOT Ride Armor will be released January next year for 20000 Yen. The version of Ride Armor that Sentinel will be releasing is Stig Bernard's who is the main protagonist of the series and it seems that the RIOBOT will come with full gimmick. As as series, Mospeada is a wasted potential, but its mechanical design is something ahead of its time and thats what make me find this series noteworthy.

Years ago Megahouse did release 1/15 Scale Ride Armor with full gimmicks around 6000 Yen. But i guess paying three times the amount for a highly detailed 1/12 version is still within acceptable range with Recessions and Japanese Yen inflations being considered into. It was quite noticable that for some reason Japanese Hobby Toys price has inflated over past five years as the Hobby Companies are charging arms and legs for their product. Sentinel is one of the best Mecha Toy making company which is still around and i feel they deserve my support as they keep Moe Cancer at bay. If Stig's Ride Armor sells well enough i think Ray's and Houquet's will follow up. I wonder if Sentinel going to make Legioss some day because i think their sculpting skill should make a good one.

August 2017 Loot

 Forgot to show off this one due to workload but here is my acquisition from last month. Working in Toy Company has its perks, being able to get the first dib on new stuffs or getting rare toys at discount rate. Though i end up having my spending on toys doubled or tripled before i work in my current company. Most of the stuffs in the picture i bought it from my company save for SRC Mightgaine. I ended up buying alot last month because Tokopedia had insane 20% Cashback Promotion which allow me to get Sagittarius SOG for roughly 10000 Yen only. It was pricey but at long last, i have my own Saint Cloth and the only one i need! But in the end i think the best deal i got from last month is Yamato 2199 Figurine which i got for 270k Rp or roughly 2000ish Yen which is a steal for this kind of figure. Probably in few weeks i will be putting up some Review for some of my hauls here.

Megazone23 Freeing 1/20 EX=Garland

 Megazone23 is one of the Top Tier Mecha Ovas out there since some of the best experts in animation field at that time were involved in the Production. I think this is why we see the Series got toys from time to time even though it is very pricey. This time Freeing are releasing 1/20 Toy for Garland Motorbike Power Armor Episode 3 Version. The Toy will be released February 2018 with 29800 Yen Price Tag which is rather hefty. The Toy is fully Transformable Motorbike Power Armor standing about 20 cm tall in the Mecha form. The Sculpt is superb but seeing the prototype, i think the manufacturer need to rework on some parts. The Legs especially on the Thigh Joints are Flimsy and the Shoulder Joint looks really fragile, not something you want from an expensive toy. If this toy cost 15000 - 20000 Yen, i would have got this one but i am saving money for Sentinel's Mospeada Ride Armor. In Megazone23, The Pilot of Garland is not Shogo anymore but a youth named Eiji who is pretty cool guy. In the third Episode you get some of the best Dystopian Cyberpunk Landscape out there which also heavily influence Armored Core 3rd Generation. If you haven't watched Megazone23, do yourself a favor and go watch it!

Yuusha Shirei Dagwon

 7th out of 8th Yuusha series cleared and my journey toward the Yuusha series coming to close end! At the first place i had my interest on Dagwon as i had the toys back then and I think i have found another personal favorite Yuusha title here even though Dagwon was infamous but not necessarily in good way. In Yuusha series, Yuusha Shirei or Brave Command Dagwon is known as the black sheep of the family and thats because it tried to do too many things at once. Dagwon's storytelling formula follow closely to Exkaiser but introduce Super Sentai Elements which yields mixed result.

Legend of Galactic Heroes ARTFX 1/8 Siegfried Kircheis

 As the last of the three of the LoGH Figurine made by Kotobukiya, we got the release info for Future Galactic Emperor's Best Friend Siegfried Kircheis! The ARTFX Siegfried Kircheis will be released on March next year and just according to my prediction, the price tag is the same with Yang Wenli costing 9000 Yen. Personally i would have got Kircheis even if i didn't get Reinhard because he is one of the most likable guy in LoGH series but Kotobukiya decided to screw up with his Figure and Reinhard. The Face Expression is clearly rushed job just like Reinhard which is a big deal for a figurine. Kircheis is Reinhard's Best Friend and played huge role in his life who's the only one able to correct Reinhard from straying away of his path. In LoGH Kircheis is probably the paragon of loyalty and kindness since he have all quality that you want from a friend. Speaking his design for the Anime Reboot, i think Kircheis look most horrible of the three characters. I would have got Kircheis Figure if it done right but Kotobukiya simply refuse my money for messing up their job.

Advance Wars: Dual Strike

 Advance Wars has been one of my favorite original Nintendo Series made by Intelligent software. I suppose by this time with the Waifu Bait antics that Nintendo shove Intelligent put into Fire Emblem, Advance Wars become my preferred SRPG series over Fire Emblem. I have played all Advance Wars games from the GBA until Days of Ruins and Dual Strike happens to be my last one that i completed the Campaign mode. Out of Advance Wars i think Dual Strike has the best contents in the series so far because it wins by sheer amount of content. The Balance is rather tipped off though in Dual Strike as some of COs Dual Strike are gamebreaking stuff. I still wonder why there are none Advance Wars title for 3DS series even though Intelligent could easily make one. Preoccupation with Fire Emblem has to do with it but it would be a waste if Nintendo skipped one for 3DS.

Yuusha Exkaiser

 This makes 6th out of 8th Yuusha title i have finished watching and i am quite surprise my dedication to mecha series can get me this far. Being the 1st title of the Yuusha Series, Exkaiser is expected to be rather weak title considering the Yuusha series identity are not well developed by this time. Therefore there is not much distinction between Yuusha with Transformers series yet. Overall the series is quite bland as it is a Glorified Toy Commercial at its purest form targeted for kids which is still quite normal for a late 80s mecha title. Compared to its successor, Exkaiser mecha design is very blocky  but i do like the Transformation sequence for it reminds me of Baikanfu's Pile Formation Gimmick. In terms of story formula, Exkaiser story are episodic with each episode mostly have no correlation with each other and the main antagonist remains the same for whole series. Like Fighbird, Exkaiser is one of the series that got cool mecha design for the main antagonist which could have passed off as protagonist mecha. While Exkaiser got some decent Episodes, majority are forgettable not to mention it got the honor of having the most obnoxious supporting character in Yuusha series. As a kid i might have enjoyed the series but watching Exkaiser as an adult, there is not much thing to appreciate in this Yuusha title.

Legend of Galactic Heroes Reboot Trailer

 After few years in planning finally we are getting a glimpse of the new anime adaptation of LOGH series. I can't really say much at the moment but the reboot seems to go into proper direction. Because the I.G Studio looks quite serious on the adaptation project therefore i will give the series a proper attention to appreciate their effort. To be honest even if the LoGH OVA series animation aged slightly it is still a masterpiece and it will be a tall order for the Reboot to surpass it. From the trailer, the new Character Design for Yang Wenli and Reinhard is not really a huge improvement of the old design but still better than the manga version. However i had my doubts with the new ship design. The LoGH series reboot will be airing on Spring 2018 as 12 Episode Tv series for the first part and 3 Movies for the second part. I do hope from the bottom of my heart for this series to succeed because the Original OVA is still Timeless Masterpiece.

Legend of Galactic Heroes ARTFX 1/8 Reinhard von Lohengramm

 Sieg Mein Kaiser, Sieg Kaiser Reinhard! Following after Yang Wenli, The Magician's eternal rival; Reinhard von Lohengramm got the Release announcement! Being the second out of three LoGH character that got Figure treatment as the part of Kotobukiya's LoGH project, Reinhard's Figure will be released on March Next Year with 10000 Yen Price Tag. I suppose the Cape does cost 1000 Yen extra. For Reinhard, I think the sculptor doesn't really nail His Characteristic with the figure perfectly. The pose is fine but I think it is mainly due to the uninterested look of the Figure's eyes that makes Reinhard's ARTFX Figure a slight miss. The Figure's eye expression makes the Reinhard looks arrogant with slight notion of incorruptible virtue. For Reinhard i think the figure is better suited with expression of gazing at the long distance with determined look which display Reinhard's virtue of Courage and Justice better. For one the few fictional character that i look up to, i am not really bent on getting this version of Reinhard Figure. Considering there is a chance that Kotobukiya will likely release Reinhard Figure with longer hair version which they will likely portray his character better. So i am crossing my hands on this one for now.

SRW V First Impressions

 As i have acquired my Platinum Trophy nothing stands in my way to play SRW V. It took like 6 months after the game was released, but enduring it was well worth it. The main reason i get SRW V is because of its Roster which i find to be very Stellar and it didn't disappoint in this department. In terms of overall quality, i think SRW V Production Value is not going to be as good as Z2 Saisei Hen and Translation Quality got some inconsistencies but passable. So far i have reached up to 19 Chapters and i do enjoy the game up until now. The new gameplay mechanics like Pooled Skill Points which is called TaC does give my SRW playthrough experience a new breath. For my first playthrough i used Female Heroine which was instant dislike already because she is such a Hypocrite. Just like other Bamco Mecha Games, SRW V unfortunately got the screenshot capability locked and i will probably find a way to bypass this. Despite all of its apparrent flaws from the beginning, i think will still be able to enjoy my SRW V experience.

Starship Troopers Traitor of Mars thoughts

 While i do enjoy Starship Troopers Invasion even though it is not perfect, Traitor of Mars turns out to be a total letdown for me. Starship Trooper is known for Grimdark and Gritty settings and somehow this movie manage to screw it up and have the atmosphere to be out of place. For 90 Minutes length movie, Traitor of Mars doesn't use well its time slot as if the movie are bunch of stock animations stitched up together with plot that barely make any sense. It is quite evident that Traitor of Mars likely to be rushed project as the story is pure garbage along with third rate antagonist, a result well known from drafting the story on the go with the animating process. Traitor of Mars is inferior in every way compared to Invasion. While Invasion got some badass supporting characters like Henry Varro, Traitor of Mars have none of it. Traitor of Mars action sequence is okayish but it is mostly Johnny Rico's part and no Marauder Armor is a big minus. After watching this movie it feels like it exists solely as an appetizer for series again as the upcoming project going to be the bigger focus. If you like Starship Trooper Invasion, do not bother to watch Traitor of Mars

Ougon Yuusha Goldran

 Continuing my Marathon of the Yuusha series from where i left off. So i think it is like a year already after i watched the last Yuusha series which is Fighbird and now i move onto Goldran. This makes the 5th Yuusha series i have completed which makes only three title left. Just like its Predecessor, Goldran is still glorified Toy Commercial made by Sunrise to push Takara Toys sale but i am cool with it nonetheless. Goldran is probably the wackiest Yuusha title i have see so far and likely to stay that way. Quality-Wise it is mediocre series but very lighthearted which makes it kid friendly show. By far Goldran is the only Yuusha series that i have seen which didn't conclude with the Protagonist beating the crap out of the Big Bad Guy.

Non Scale Raftclans Model Kit

 With Moon Dweller Release back then, Raftclans did have a good chance for a Model Kit Release and Kotobukiya just did it. The Raftclans Prototype shown from Wonderfest didn't fail the expectation and we got the release date shortly after the Summer one. With Al Van's Colors scheme, Raftclans Model Kit will be released around the end of this year with 8800 Yen Price tag. The kit comes with most of the Raftclans Gimmick save for the Orgon F Sword effect part which i find to be the coolest feature of the mecha. I have been expecting Raftclans will cost around 7000 Yen but as Kotobukiya Improvement of their Model Kit overall quality, i guess we won't see SRW Kit under 5000 Yen anytime soon.

 
 In SRW series, Raftclans begin as Original unit in SRW J and mainly used by game original Antagonists factions; The Fury. The units serve as the Fury Ace Pilot Mechas though it was unlockable as secret unit once you complete the Game with all three Original unit. In terms of specs Raftclans is strong in both Close and Ranged Combat and can perform further on either type depending on the pilot's Preference. Personally I find SRW J to be rather mediocre title at best, but Raftclans was what drives me to commit 4 Playthroughs and it was well worth it. You can bet that once i got the kit in my hand, i will just repaint it into Touya's color scheme.

SD Gundam G Generation Genesis Platinum

 I think it is almost 6 Months since i started Gundam Genesis and at last i managed to score a Platinum Trophy on this one. Roughly Speaking Gundam Genesis Heavily focus on UC Period around OYW and Post CCA Timeline because thats what i see where the Resources are poured in. In terms of Gameplay, i find Genesis lack in couple department such as Poor Battleship Selection and how the OYW are quite Handicapped in Late UC stages. Personally i find Gundam Genesis is not really my cup of tea as it is mostly Glorified Ads for Gundam Unicorn as the series pretty much hog the spotlight.

Battle of the Toys 2017 Field Report

 My first time for this event and first time working here too. Taking a week after AFAID 2017 Battle of the Toys is another of those run of the mill pop culture convention but more focused on Toys considering it was hosted by the biggest toy seller in Indonesia, Multitoys. In terms of event quality, i can't say it is better than AFAID by far margin but at least in this event you get more things to see and getting some good bargain for toys.

Legend of Galactic Heroes ARTFX 1/8 Yang Wenli

 Kotobukiya is quite fast on this one,  shortly after the finished prototype shown in Wonderfest Last month we got the release detail for ARTFX Yang Wenli. Slated for January next year, the figure come with the price of 9000 Yen. Posed with holding his beret while showing gentle smile, Kotobukiya captured the character of Yang Wenli's character really well with the figure. In the series, leading the 13th Fleet Yang Wenli is mostly known for being the only person who can fight toe to toe with the future Galactic Emperor, Reinhard von Lohengramm. But what i admire from Yang's character is his virtue of Wisdom and willingness to fight for his ideal even though he serve dying nation rife of corruption like Free planet Alliance.  I will definitely preorder this figure and likely get Reinhard and Kircheis because i just really respect LOGH as a series and doing my part to contribute. I think Reinhard's Artfx will come with slightly higher pricetag but as for Kircheis, it will roughly cost the same with Yang Wenli.

AFAID 2017 Thoughts

 This is my first time i attend AFA in Jakarta and i will not visit again next year. For an event with International standard, AFAID comes with substandard quality as if the Organizer doesn't put enough effort with the event or plainly lack of proper budget. The main issue with this event is the lackluster content of the exhibition and far pales in comparison to the Singapore one and definitely way behind SMASH. This year's AFAID did got interesting guests like Amuro's VA and one of the Iron Blooded Orphans protagonist VA but the poor exhibition hall quality makes me cares less about them. If AFAID didn't get ahold of themselves properly, probably there wont be another one in next few years.

Sampling on some Star Wars Kit

 Over past three days i have been assembling these kits as a part of assignment from my company as they need these for upcoming exhibition. Since i don't belong to Generation X, i am not really crazy with Star Wars series but i am having good experience while building these kits. For this assignment i just do straight build on the kits and applying some decals since that what i am instructed to. Bandai did good job on the details with these kits but i think in terms of pricing the star wars kit are rather pricey compared to Hasegawa's Macross model kit, something to do with the licensing cost i guess.

Out of 11 Star Wars kits consists of 7 1/72 Scale and 4 Miniplas, i think i had the most fun working on Bobba Fett's 1/72 Slave I surprisingly. As for the hardest one to build it is definitely the Y-Fighter since the Model kit got so much finely shaped wire to attach though Applying decals for the X-Wings could be frustrating too. If this was personal project i would have painted these kits especially the X-Wing since the decal are just horrible substitute for the unpainted parts of the kit. If i got opportunity in the future i don't mind building some TIE Fighters or 1/48 X-Wing