Arknights Nendoroid 1789 Frostnova

 A peculiar choice for the next Arknights Nendoroid, but the lovable antagonist Frostnova makes it as the next Nendoroid for the series after Thorns. Nendoroid Frostnova will be scheduled for September 2022 release with 7000 price tag. Just like some previous Arknights Nendoroid, Frostnova price is rather expensive for her minimalist accessories.

 In Arknights, Frostnova is parts of the Reunion Group, the primary opponent of Rhodes island in the main storyline. She serves as a squad leader commanding a group called Yeti Squad and possess Originium Arts capable of freezing her surrounding at the expense of her lifeforce. The Player will encounter Frostnova in Chapter 4&6 where Rhodes island fought a series of Skirmish in Lungmen. Doktah formed a bond with Frostnova when both of them trapped during one of the Skirmish encounter and chances he could have succeeded recruited her if they met earlier. But inevitable both fought in a final showdown with tragic conclusion. As opponent Frostnova is rather fearsome opponent who can instant kill any operator with her special move that also render the deployment tile unusable.

The reason why Frostnova is rather strange choice to get Nendoroid treatment is because she no longer play any part in the recent Arknights story development and there are still plenty other 6* Operator who could use some Nendoroid for themselves. Perhaps this particular move implies the chances for Frostnova to appear as limited Alter OP in near future which could be a hit or miss.
 

Uma Musume Nendoroid 1783 Goldship

 Uma Musume Pretty Derby made a really strong entry in Japan Gacha market early this year as such the merchandise will obviously follow suit, After a hiatus for more than three years since Special Week, Uma Musume got a new entry for Nendoroid continuing the lineup and it is no other than Goldship making the second entry for Uma Musume Nendoroids. Nendoroid Goldship is scheduled for July 2022 release with 5800 Yen Price tag.

 Goldship is one of the Uma Musume that made appearance in the anime series serving as supporting role as part of Spica team member. Among many horsegirls in the series, Goldship stands out the most since she is one of the wackiest character in Uma Musume by far margin so far and will even dropkick the trainer in the game if she wins any G1 races as the winning pose. Despite her crazy antics, Goldship is capable to act like a proper lady at times, catching players off guard which contribute to the reasons of her popularity,

IRL Goldship is male stallion that had illustrious yet polarising race career in early 2010s Japan Horseracing scene and particularly excelled at long distance races. While Goldship's career as not illustrious as any of the Triple Crown horses, his comical behaviour and capability when serious easily wins the heart of many fans. Goldship's Grandsire is Mejiro Mcqueen which is the reason why Goldship is quite clingy toward the latter in the anime. I think Goldship Nendoroid will be quite well received in Japan but personally i will still wait for Grass Wonder or Symboli Rudolf.

SRW OG HG Non Scale Gespenst

 It appears that Bandai are keep invested on SRW series and for the third SRW Model kit, we are getting Gespenst and it will be Gilliam's to boot with! HG Gespenst will be scheduled for May 2022 release with 4000 Yen price tag, so far Bandai kept their SRW Model Kit series at consistent price range for some reason. For Bandai's version of Gespenst, the armaments is roughly about the same compared to the Kotobukiya including Beam Rifle, Saber, Split Missile and Slash Ripper.

 Gilliam's version of Gespenst is rather special since it is the precursor of the mass produced version Gespenst Mk-II. In terms of specs, Gespenst had slightly better performance compared to Mk-II but it is the Gilliam's exceptional piloting skill that makes this Personal Trooper able to stand on par with other SRW OG Pilot with stronger Mecha. Gilliam himself is an enigmatic figure who belongs to elite squad called Aggressors along with Zengar, Kai and Elzam which are some of the best pilots in OG Saga. In OG series Gilliam mostly absent in the story doing intel works and i recall that he was former antagonist in one of the Banpresto's older game.

 In SRW OGs Gespenst is rather weak unit used by one of the better pilots, Gilliam will use Gespenst Mk-II RV later on as the upgrade which is quite decent unit on Real Robot side. Personally i am quite surprised that this version of Gespenst came out early since i thought Daizengar or other popular OG unit would have better shot to secure the third slot from Bandai for SRW OG Model kit series.

Showa (Shigeru Mizuki)

 

 A semi-autobiography manga made by one of the legendary mangaka from early era of manga industry. While not as well known Osamu-Tezuka sensei in the west, Shigeru Mizuki is one of the few accomplished mangaka from the same period with Gegege no Kitaro being his most well known works. 

Spanning over 4 large volumes, Showa manga retells the life of Japan during Emperor Hirohito rule which spans from 1920s until late 80s through the perspective of the mangaka. To put it simply, Showa offers a superb insight on 20th Century Japan through a commoner perspective and a consistent one at that. Despite its simple style drawing, Showa is a particularly very good manga if you want to take a glimpse at WW2 Imperial Japan frontline as the mangaka himself had a surviving wartime experience from it. 

While the manga itself might be hyperbolised, Shigeru-sensei lived quite a colorful life despite filled with full of hardships. What makes Shigeru-sensei a legendary figure in the manga world is that his works accomplishment is on par with Osamu Tezuka's despite he lost one of his arm during WW2 which just shows physical disability will not hinder a man if he puts his effort. Among historical manga that covers modern period Japan, Showa is a good main choice as it offers a comprehensive experience from 1st hand account of a man who accomplished something big despite facing setbacks.

Monster (Naoki Urasawa)

 Revisiting one of Naoki Urasawa's works and i have to say either this series, Master Keaton or 20th Century Boys is this legendary mangaka magnum opus. Monster is one of the well regarded Seinen Manga because it has one of the best antagonist who just relies on his pure intellect. The series tells the story of a Japanese Surgeon in German whose life turned upside down after he saves a young boy named Johan Liebert who is gifted with a bright mind but used it to manipulate people for grisly ends.

As the main antagonist of Monster, Johan Liebert is well made character comparable to Makishima Shogo or Hannibal Lecter, who due to his traumatic past mostly commit his evil act by manipulating others through his eloquence and intimate understanding of human psyche. But what sets apart Johan with the latter two, is that he is not in the point of no return yet. From what i am able to grasp, before reaching that point of becoming true psychopath monster and to prove his point, Johan probably decided to end his life in a most elaborate way possible which the main protagonist rebuked by sentencing him to life at the conclusion of this series.

 Beyond his facade as a villain, to me Johan is a troubled young man who turned into sociopath due to being a victim of unethical cold war experiment. Usually when a person exposed to extremely traumatic experience, they tend to develop deranged personality as coping mechanism when Insanity was the only alternative in which Monster tried to showcase Naoki Urasawa's take on this argument. In the end at its basic level, what i believe that Monster tried to convey is that it is up to a society to determine how deep a man can sunk so low, because people are always the product of their environment.

4th Year with Fate/Grand Order

 Surviving another year with this Gacha Hell game yet again but my burnout toward Fate/Grand Order quite took its toll this time. Of all Gacha game that i have played, no doubt Fate/Grand Order that sticks with me the longest surviving 3 phone changes. But overall my 4th year with FGO is a downhill race that started promising but went downhill by the mid of the year. Despite my severe burn from this year's misfortune, I think i still have the drive to stick around FGO at least until LB6 which featured alternate version of Camelot.

Yami playing Genshin Impact

  It has been more than a month i started playing Genshin Impact and with the milestones i have reached, i think i am ready to prepared a rounded opinion about this hottest AAA Mobile Game of the year. It took me more than a year to start playing Genshin Impact partly because of limited hardware issue of my mobile phone at the time, but mostly from my hesitation trying another Mihoyo Game due to personal bad experience playing Honkai Impact 3rd which is a very high maintenance for a mobile game. 

Before i tried Genshin, i always thought the game to be very overhyped with its well-placed aggressive marketing that attracts Normies which is a recipe for toxic community. However after trying what Genshin able to offer for some time, i do find the game have its merit that makes it earn its current position as the top reigning Mobile Game. If i have to sum up my experience with Genshin Impact, the game experience is a polarizing one. By F2P standard, Genshin offers very amazing open world exploration but at the same time some of the worst Gacha experience on par with FGO and Uma Musume. Personally i like Genshin because it is the Chinese answer to Avatar and Exalted, two great series inspired from Eastern Asia esoteric cosmology, and a decent one at that.

Genshin Impact Nendoroid 1717 Traveller/Aether

 

 2 Months after Genshin Impact 1st anniversary, Goodsmile finally released the preorder for the main protagonists of the most popular open world Gacha Game themselves, The Traveller! and the twins come both at the same time! Nendoroid Aether and Lumine are sold for 5800 Yen each separately with July 2022 release schedule. For some reason related to production capacity, the first Genshin Nendoroids as well as Figma Mona will be released in rather limited quantity. 

 In terms of Accessory, Nendoroid Traveller both Aether and Lumine are rather lacking since they only came with low rarity sword and glider wing. The miniscule amount accessory may hints out that the product release for Nendoroid Traveller is likely to be rushed, probably something to do with Mihoyo's blunder during their 1st anniversary. I won't be surprised if GSC will release the DX version of both Aether and Lumine which could include Paimon and elemental effect parts as the extra accessories for starters.

 I tried Genshin since last month after getting a new phone that is capable of handling the game's rather high spec for a mobile game. After trying this game for a month for roughly a month, overall i find the gaming experience of Genshin to be polarizing. On one side you got yourself a well made Open World game that are available for free and on the other hand you got yourself one of the vilest gacha mechanics which puts up a good challenge with FGO. As for further discussion about Genshin, i will probably make a dedicated post for the series in near future.

Nendoroid Aether/Lumine is an easy skip for me with their lacking accessory but i personally will look forward to future release for Nendoroid Ganyu or Ningguang if GSC ever release one since those two are the characters from Genshin i am interested the most.

Fate/Grand Order 1/7 Scathach-Skadi

 I think it has been more than 2 Years since the prototype revealed but after many setbacks, GSC finally open preorder for 1/7 Scathach Skadi. Sold at 22800 Yen, 1/7 Scathach-Skadi is scheduled for March 2023 which is still a long way to go. I wonder if the release timing is intentionally coincided with the recent end of Skadi Banner Rerun in FGO NA server.

An alternate version of Warrior Queen Scathach whose personality merged with Norse Ice Giantess Skadi, Scathach-Skadi played the role of the LostBelt ruler in LB2 Singularity. Skadi is one of the most popular servants in FGO Japan back in 2018 since she is the enabler of Quick Meta which reigns supreme until the arrival of Castoria last year.

 All in all it will take around 4 years for this lovable Ice Queen figure to be available, i guess the struggle of the Japanese Figure Company is quite real in the last two years due to COVID for them to delay the figure this long. The for Skadi was quite high when the prototype revealed back then, but i really doubt it will be the same by the time when the figure is released.

 Despite the waning popularity of FGO series, i hope this won't be the end of GSC Support for FGO products because we still need more Skadi collectibles in the future as well as other recent servants such as Morgan and Melusine.

Final Gear

 Over past five years, I have played several Gacha Games and at long last i think i have found the right one for Mechas. Around last week, i tried this particular Gacha Game called Final Gear which featured Mechas with Waifus. Final Gear had been around for 2 years in China and Japan but it was only available on Global Server two months ago in which the localization handled by Komoe Games.

 When it comes to Gameplay, Final Gear feels closest to Azur Lane or GFL where you assemble a team of four mechas destroying everything that blocks your team's Path. Final Gear also features parts customization system akin to Medabots, Danball Senki or Custom Robo so you will feel right at home if you were fans of those games. Compared to AAA Gacha Games like FGO or Arknights or Genshin, Final Gear story or waifus are nothing special but the Mechas is no doubt its Strongest selling point good enough to be 1v5 Carry. To put it frankly Final Gear have plenty of Cool Mecha designs which will pamper anyone who consider themselves as mecha fans. Perhaps in near future, i might even consider to make starter guide for Final Gear.

Spy X Family

 One of the few great manga from past 5 years that escaped my watch until recently. It was until Spy x Family getting anime adaptation that makes the series caught my attention and long story short i marathoned all 55 Chapters in single sitting. Taking in a cold war setting, Spy x Family tells the story of a Legendary Spy called "Twilight" who infiltrate enemy nation to unveil the secret of the Nation Leader through elaborate complex plan which requires him to have a fake family of a wife and child as part of the plan. But in a turns of strange event, The Spy's fake family member themselves are quite extraordinary too with a beautiful Professional Assassin played the role of the wife and a Psychic being the daughter in which only the latter know the truth.

 After reading through all current 55 Chapters, I could say Spy X Family is one of the manga from last decade that have one of the better writing. The Manga series put a good balance on Action, Suspense and Humor and still managed to stay on track with its genre. As history fan, i like how Spy X Family managed to replicate the atmosphere of Cold War Espionage quite well which other few mangas able to pull off notably with Golgo 13 which comes in mind. The main character himself might not be as badass as Duke Togo but Twillight is still well accomplished in his field as Spy.

 Time will tell how the series with end up, but with current quality of writing, i think Spy x Family could last for 100-200 Chapters just fine. For now lets hope that the anime adaptation next year won't distract the progress of a promising manga series like Spy X Family.

Joytoy 1/18 1st Legion Steel

 Joytoy is mostly well known for their 1/24 Mecha Toys that shares close aesthetics with Titanfall series, but from time to time they do make Military or Sci-Fi action figure both in 1/24 and 1/18 Scale as well. Recently there is a notable addition for their 1/18 action figure series dubbed 1st Legion Steel. The 1st Legion Steel featured Joytoy Original design of Power Armor action figure in 4 Variants. This lineup incorporated the cool elements from several Power Armor designs from series like Fallout, 40k or Dead Space. 

The 4 variants of Joytoy 1/18 1st Legion series are sold for 35 USD each which seems reasonable enough compared to Kotobukiya Hexagear that still require assembly. Out of the 4 Variants, The Green and Gray Power Armor variant interests me the most due to more unique selections for the Armaments. In any case i will keep a tab on the continuation of this series by Joytoy.

SSSS Gridman

  Another mecha anime from past few years that i gave a try with higher expectation due to the hype during its debut. SSSS Gridman was a reboot anime adapted from Tsuburaya older series, a company well known for their Ultraman series. During its inception, Gridman was probably created to serve as bridge for Tokusatsu and Mecha featuring Gridman, an Ultraman like character who can power up with giant vehicles to form some sort of hybrid mecha.

 But in the end SSSS Gridman proves to be a disappointment for a mecha fans like me. The series essentially focus too much on style over substance in order to target Teens as the main audience. The storyline of SSSS Gridman gets as barebone as its gets where a group of teenagers team up with Gridman in order to confront Kaijus that attacked their cities while attempting to locate the mastermind of the Kaiju attacks. In defense, 12 episodes can't really facilitate anything complex but i have to say the effort on the story is disappointing because even Yuusha series which are more than 2 decades could come up with something better. The mecha design in Gridman is also a failure for me as they are just feel something cobbled up together instead of being properly designed which make it a big miss. Perhaps Gridman would fared batter if they go with more organic route instead of the blocky mess.

 One thing you won't deny from Gridman is they have very nice eye candy as distraction, Rikka and Takane easily some of the most popular waifus in the period of late 2018/early 2019 being an oversexualized female teenager doing fanservices. SSSS Gridman is probably one of the anime series that you would enjoy more when you turned your brains off and don't think anything too much out of the series. I think Dynazenon would maintain the fanservice level quite well though i doubt the overall value will be any better compared to SSSS Gridman.

Back Arrow

 The latest Mecha anime made by Sunrise early this year that caught my attention since Bandai released some merchandise for this series despite the uncertainty whether the series will turn into hit. Overall Back Arrow had interesting concepts and characters but mediocre execution combined with meh mecha design makes it a mediocre mecha series which are forgettable by next season.

 The story of Back Arrow starts with a amnesiac young man fell from the sky who comes with mysterious power unseen before in the world. Accompanied with companions, the young man traveled around the two major nations that makes up the majority of the world to uncover his past which is tied to the fate of the world which are surrounded by walls of unknown origin on its ends.

 Back Arrow tells the story of the world that serves as the source of nourishment and pruned off if certain parameter exceed the limit which share some similarities with Ranceverse. The issue with Back Arrow using this trope is that the existence of character that exist as reset button is not justifiable enough in the series since it lack the bleakness for these Destroyer type to start exist. Mecha design is probably the weakest part of Back Arrow for me which i find the designs suit more as power armor for a series like Tiger&Bunny.

 Despite its glaring weaknesses, i do find some of the casts to be enjoyable which are rarity for Sunrise mecha series from last decade. The Emperor and Strategist guy certainly takes the crown of honor with the former is a good expy of Master Asia and the latter drives the storyline most of the part. Back Arrow might not be the best Mecha series that Sunrise could offer but i guess it is still more tolerable compared to Valvrave.

Onmyoji Nendoroid 1608 Shiranui

 

 After a long string of Male Shikigami Nendoroids for Onmyoji series, the songstress waifu Shiranui joins in for a change of pace. Nendoroid Shiranui is sold for 6200 Yen Price tag and scheduled for December 2021 release. 

 Shiranui is one the featured Shikigami in OA last year and she easily catches attention during her debut and remains to be one of the most popular Shikigami to this day as well as being one of the most banned Shiki in the higher ranked game. In OA Shiranui takes position as Mage/Jungler but most player utilize her as mid role with high mobility and burst damage which can easily wreck havoc on enemy team when used by skilled player. Shiranui had everything that it takes to be a popular waifu character with her gorgeous design complemented with tragic background story. I am not familiar with Onmyoji RPG storyline but Shiranui was a beautiful young maiden famed with her singing and dancing skill who attempted to kill herself in order to avoid being married to cruel lord only to turn into her current Shiranui form when she came into contact with the mystical spirit of the island.

 If i had Shiranui as my Shikigami main, i would have preordered this Nendoroid in an instant because Nao Touyama did really wonderful job voicing this character. This popular seiyuu's role as Shiranui  is way even better compared to her FGO characters because i guess she doesn't have the role to play the main heroine role in the latter game yet. I am still waiting Nendoroid release for Yoto or Hououga for my Onmyoji collection but i may be even willing to get one for Hakuro or Miketsu depending on which skin. In any case you can try to listen Shiranui image song which Nao Touyama did a great job on it,

 

Arknights Nendoroid 1715 Doctor

  It took 10 Operators from Arknights but our beloved mysterious main character, Doktah himself made his appearance in Nendoroid form! Nendoroid 1715 Doctor will be scheduled for June release with 6500 Yen Price tag. Surprisingly Doktah comes with generous amount of accessories ranging from Sanity Bar to Kettle to replicate the infamous low sanity moment where Doktah cooking instant noodle in his mouth. This Nendoroid rendition of the self-insert protagonist of Arknights is certainly a good bargain compared to some Operator Nendoroid who come with less accessory for the same price. But Just like Nendoroid Gudako/Gudao, this nendoroid of Doktah is practically essential when you collect plenty of Operators which certainly will easily pile up with the good amount of Waifus from Arknights.

In Arknights, Doktah is the one of the top leader of Rhodes Island, a pharmaceutical company that is practically a PMC in a disaster struck world of Terra. His background remains enigmatic until this day but he is a very capable commander who lead his operators to victory, During his pre-amnesia period, Doktah was a rather ruthless leader but in the game he is implied to be quite considerate toward his operators which is why there are plenty of romance options in the game. What attracts me with Arknights version of Self-Insert character is his close similarity with Hakuoro from Utawarerumono who are mysterious character, charismatic enough to lead an army but probably possess some sort of superpower as his trump card. In any case i will look forward to the future Nendoroid rendition for Angelina and Skadi.

Taiyou no Yuusha Fighbird - Super Minipla Draias

  Yuusha series is getting some attention from Bandai again this year and we are getting some Miniplas for Taiyou no Yuusha Fighbird! Apart from the titular mecha Fighbird, Bandai is releasing Minipla for the main antagonist mecha and Fighbird's nemesis; Draias. Super Minipla Draias is scheduled for February 2022 release with 6300 Yen Price tag as P-Bandai release.

 Draias is easily one of the coolest Antagonist Yuusha mecha from Yuusha series because it is a gattai Mecha formed by Lion, Dragon and Eagle. In terms Design, Draias could have easily passed as protagonist mecha because it is probably one of those scrapped design for Protagonist Yuusha mecha, but Takara at the time picked it as Antagonist mecha due to its imposing look. For a mecha formed from beast mecha, Draias has rather sick looking Plane Mode which somehow works out quite well to the extent to have some of its element incorporated into Fighbird's successor, Da Garn. As a kid, i used to have Draias Toy which i was quite fond of and thus i am still looking for newest take on this cool Yuusha antagonist. Hopefully Draias could make it as Yuusha Retsuden or The Gattai which is more in my hitzone compared to Super Minipla.

Osamu Tezuka Black Jack

  Another Osamu Tezuka-sensei works to discuss here, either Astroboy or this series called Blackjack is what probably play a prominent role in the rise of Tezuka-Sensei. Blackjack is arguably the precursor of Doctor-themed manga in Japanese manga industry, probably most of the manga that dabbled in this theme especially had to do with Surgery stuff paid some homage to Black Jack one way or another. This manga narrates the adventure of an unlicensed Doctor named Black Jack who had a disfigured face but possess godlike skill when it comes to surgery and had a reputation of avarice, charging hefty sum to his patients. Accompanied by his girl sidekick Pinoko, Black Jack will use his talent in surgery to all sorts of patients which sometimes make him encounter life-and-death encounter.

 Tezuka-sensei is well known as had a background in medicine who had a choice to be a doctor but become a mangaka instead. He certainly put more of his medical knowledge in Black Jack compared to Hidamari no Ki and i think he had penchant of using Peritonitis in this work. Black Jack is a great classic that explore the social facet of modern medicine industry and exposes its ugly side which undoubtedly had become abomination by this time. Out of  main protagonists from Tezuka's work, i quite like Black Jack because he uses his wits more compared to brute force and are not as bullheaded. Black Jack might be an outcast of his society but he had a firm sense of morality and even help some patients for free if they deserves it. Blackjack probably develop a reputation of avarice in order to protect himself since he often encounters people from shady background in his line of business who sometimes attempt to backstab.

 While the drawing style does not age well, Black Jack is definitely belong to must-read list from Tezuka-sensei's work. The english version of the manga spans over 17 volumes though i feel it could have gone longer since the manga finished somewhat in a cliffhanger. On an another note, Adult version of Pinoko would be quite a beauty if she is given a modern take of her design.

Guardian Tales

 Another Gacha Game that i encountered recently and i think this one will survive for quite a while. Guardian tales is a roguelike hack and slash Gacha game featuring retro 16-bit style sprites made by Korean dev named Kong Studio. I have tried Counter:Side before which is another Korean made Gacha Game that has somewhat sleek presentation. But the latter doesn't suit my liking due to its time demanding nature and rather lousy Gacha rate in terms of value-to-time ratio. 

 On the other hand, Guardian Tales is one of the least time demanding Gacha game i have encountered. Compared to Arknights which forces you to spend at least 30 minutes to 1 hour for daily grind, In Guardian Tales you can just spend 5 minutes a day to use of your stamina resources for grinding mats since this game have auto-resolve option for stages that you have completed before on top of auto grind option. Guardian Tales offers nice change of pace for me after getting burned out from Uma Musume which forces you to grind at least 2 hours per day to stay competitive. 

 In terms of Gacha Rate, Guardian Tales offer no pity rates but there is a mileage system where you can exchange for SSR of your choice once you had 300 Gacha pulls. Speaking about downside though, the premium currency pricing, Guardian Tales falls on the range slightly above Arknights, but it does offer some good bundle from time to time. Power Creep is somewhat an issue in Guardian Tales because only SSR units and some SR units worth investing in resources while the 1* units are just lef in the dust

 Speaking about Uma Musume, the game have slowly lost its luster to me personally. In terms of production value, Uma Musume is still no doubt amazing but given its gameplay model, i think the series would have fared better as Console Game instead of Gacha because the daily grind is just a big pain when you have done it over 300 times. I am just amazed some Japanese are willing to commit so much time over the monotonous grind for some paltry change of Gacha currency.

 Going back to Guardian Tales, the game's production value is nowhere close to the top Gacha Games but it makes a very good secondary Gacha in case you need one due to very low amount of commitment this game demands from players. The gameplay might be simple hack and slash but it still offer moderate amount of customization which may make worth you stick around with Guardian Tales . 

Osamu Tezuka Phoenix

 Osamu Tezuka is no doubt one of the most legendary figure in Japan Manga Industry with plethora of his works. However if i have to pick one works that serves as the testament of Tezuka-sensei's legacy, it would be either Buddha or this manga called Phoenix. Phoenix is another manga that i should have read earlier because it is just really that good, the drawing style might be old school, the story that the Tezuka tried to convey with Phoenix simply amazing.

 Using mystical creature Phoenix, the undying legendary firebird, Tezuka-sensei explored the big question of Life itself which spans from the ancient civilization up to far flung future. Utilising obsession toward immortality tied to Phoenix, Tezuka-sensei did a well done job in fleshing out the ugly side of humanity and the portrayal of life and death cycle along with the futility to avoid it in this work quite well. The protagonist in each arks find themselves in predicament revolving Phoenix directly by seeking immortality or indirectly through the whims of other people who are usually powerful figures. The story might get confusing at first due to sudden timeskip but everything will make sense once you read through the series.

 I don't really have particular favorite character in phoenix as most of the protagonists are way too stubborn to a fault, but i have a liking to the clone arc where a man find his clones end up being slaughter target for reality show due to his foolish intention toward Phoenix but eventually find way to redeem himself. Unfortunately the series never truly completed as Tezuka-sensei passed away before he could completed this work which is probably one of his remaining regret through his illustrious career. Phoenix is unquestionably masterpiece despite being unfinished work, and you will be astounded the depth of this series for a old school series.
 

Alexandros - Dream for World Conquest

 

 When it comes to manga retelling the tales about Alexander the Great, Historie comes to mind to be the best candidate so far. But if you want something that is more condensed then there is this manga called Alexandros around the corner. This manga recounts the main events of Alexander the Great campaign complete from his battles against Darius until his adventure to far east and even covers briefly the aftermath of Alexander's death. If you have read Historie before you will be familiar with most of the characters since Alexandros give quite good coverage for Alexander's main retainers with Lysimachus being the main focus in this one, Eumenes made some appearance but he only plays minor role in this one. Since it is only one volume, don't expect too much detail but the artist definitely try to evoke the grandeur of Alexander's journey in his best quality. I think the mangaka could cover the Diadochi period if he was given a chance to draw one more volume but i suppose it will be up to the future mangaka to pick up this one. On a side note, the mangaka of Alexandros is also the one in charge of Gundam Origin illustration, so you might feel that this version of Alexander looks abit like Amuro

Jigoku Shoujo

  One of the classic 2000 Anime series that had quite a following in its time which i only managed to complete its 4 season marathon recently. The series follow after the journey of a mysterious girl named Enma Ai who served on behalf of Hell to send a person directly judged to hell for the begrudged at a price of their soul in afterlife. At first i thought Jigoku Shoujo would be more intense in its horror theme due to its nature but turns out to be still quite mild compared to something like Ghost Hunt. The series could have cranked up the Horror if they want to do as showcased in some episodes but i suppose they want the series to be accessible for teen audience. Jigoku Shoujo spans over 4 seasons though only the first 3 Season can be considered full anime season since it is not easy to get fundings for 26 Anime episodes nowadays.

 While Jigoku Shoujo is episodic in its nature, where Enma accepting errands and send people to hell, each of the first 3 Season of the series had overarching theme in relation to Enma's Past, Present and Future which is tied to particular character that had relationship to Enma in some way. The first season had a Journalist whose ancestor had personal bond with Enma when she was human, while second season feature a young boy whose life drastically changed from witnessing Enma in action and finally third season had a middle school girl who is supposed to be Enma's future successor.

 While Enma supposed to accept request by people who is wronged by perpetrator who are unable to be judged by law, most of the clients are just as insufferable and no better than the people who wronged them especially the teens. Even Enma's subordinates which are bunch of Youkais had better shred of humanity compared to these clients showing that how depraved human nature could be. Just like Death Note, I think Jigoku Shojo just try to show that supernatural power to kill people does no good in the hands of human as they will end up misusing it anyway. 

Despite the animation didn't aged particularly well, Jigoku Shoujo story are still good enough if you want to get some fix of pulpy mild horror anime. There are probably attempts to revive Jigoku Shoujo series but personally i would love to see the ultimate fate of journalist guy from the 1st season.

Kino no Tabi - The Beautiful World -

 

   Another anime series in my backlog that i finished recently and Majo no tabitabi is definitely based on this. There are two versions of Kino no Tabi, the one made in 2003 and 2017. I tried to watch the 2017 version but ended up visited the 2003 one first. Kino no Tabi tells the story about a boyish girl named Kino travelling to all sorts of places with a sentient motorbike named Hermes as her partner. The series explores the ideas throughout the history of humanity through the places that Kino visited, some places are pleasant trip while a few can be a downright anarchic where Kino had to fight for her survival. Both 2003 and 2017 version had its own merit as each have their own separate story to tell with only about 3 episodes that had similarity. Personally i find 2003 version story are more interesting but darker at the same time, while the 2017 gives more screentime for supporting characters that Kino encounter throughout her journey. Personally Kino no Tabi deserves second season because there a much from 20 volumes of Light Novel material that can be covered. In any case this is a superior version of Majo no Tabitabi

Densetsu no Yuusha Da Garn The GATTAI Gaon

 

 It was quicker than expected since i thought it would have taken GSC more than 6 months to follow up the GATTAI Da Garn X, but here comes the Lion Sidekick Gaon! The GATTAI Gaon is scheduled for May 2022 Release with 22000 Yen Price tag, slightly below the GATTAI Da Garn X. Just like its partner counterpart, this version of Gaon comes with transformation gimmick and obviously include capability to combine with Da Garn X to from Great Da Garn X as its main selling point.

 Gaon is one of the last Yuusha to join protagonist team in Densetsu no Yuusha Da Garn, Gaon is one of the handful Yuusha in its series that taken Beast form as part of its transformation apart from Hawk Saber and Seven Changer though the latter is quite an exception. Compared to Da Garn, Gaon is more of a close combat fighter dual wielding Guns and Tomahawk to get the job done but for some reason  Great Da Garn X which is result from combination of Da Garn X and Gaon heavily focus on ranged firepower  with the Big Guns and Missiles.

I have come to notice that Great Da Garn X is basically Da Garn having Gaon as its external armor parts, which is abit derpy but still not the worst of the Main Yuusha Final Form. In any case this version of  Gaon is a must get for those who have ordered the GATTAI Da Garn X.

Kami no Shizuku / The Drops of God

 Another hidden underrated gem which its translation only accessible for the whole series recently. If Oishinbo focused only about wine industry and given modern breath of artstyle, you got yourself Kami no Shizuku! This manga is a legendary series at its own right which explore the world of wine through the rivalry of two men in 44 volumes of manga. The premise of the series is about a Son of a prominent Wine critic found himself fighting for his father's inheritance against a famous young wine critic in a battle of finding wines riddled as "12 Apostles of God" which ultimately will lead to the legendary Wine bearing the title of "Drops of God". 

 The manga explores the world of Wine which lead the main characters travel around the globe obviously including a good portion of time in Wine Birthplace France, to find the God Apostles Wine. The main character, Shizuku Kanzaki might look disadvantaged at first in the fight of 12 Apostles Wine as he is merely a salaryman who is pitted against Issei Tomine, a young Wine Critic who is at the peak of his popularity whose talents are real deal. However Shizuku, gifted with very sharp sense of taste and almost godlike perception when it comes to wines due to his upbringing proves to be serious challenge for Tomine in each of the 12 fights for the Apostles Wine.

Kami no Shizuku main strength lies at the vivid visualization of Wines which the main character portrays in very elaborate fashion. This selling point is what makes the manga a very interesting read even for readers who are not familiar with Wines and it is very enjoyable read for those who appreciate arts in general. The Journey of these Shizuku and Tomine for the Drops of Gods does not exactly end in Kami no Shizuku as the series has another sequel which spans over 26 Volumes that only finished last year. Hopefully it won't take too long for the Finale Part getting translation but in any case Kami no Shizuku is still very good read on its own right.

Prisma Illya Nendoroid 1680 Illyasviel Von Einzbern

 

 Out of Fate series character, i didn't expect Illya would take long for her Nendoroid to get released despite she enjoyed relative popularity in the series. In any case the magical version of Illya is now available for preorder for February 2022 release schedule with 5000 Yen Price tag.

Personally i do enjoy Illyasviel character in original Fate series even wishing for her own route in FSN instead of Heaven's feel. However i stayed away from Prisma Illya due to its excessive underage yuri fanservice. I actually thought the Nendoroid would come with crazier expression for Illya but GSC version is relatively tame considering Illyasviel do have some silly moments in the Prisma Illya which even carried over during the FGO collab event. In FGO Illya is one of the rarer SSR Caster servant due which her banner only shown up like twice up until now. At any rate i think Chloe and Miyu had a good chance to follow up considering it take illya to open the floodgate for the Prillya fans

Majo no Tabitabi

  Some Fantasy Slice of life that i watched recently which i find to have interesting premise but had rather annoying main character. I was interested with Majo no Tabitabi when i read some articles about dark fantasy and this series to be mentioned. Overall the series is lighthearted most of the time as it tells about the story of a young witch traveling around the world but it do have some darker episodes where some of the sinister element kicks in such as the child serial killer. Personally i am not too fond of the main character Elaine since she is too selfish and immature for a person of her position. Considering Witches in the Majo no Tabitabi setting are position that wield significant influence in that world and Elaine probably will cause many misfits with her immaturity. Majo no Tabitabi selling point is the encounters that Elaine had throughout the journey because the magic system and everything else are rather shallow at the point of  the anime airing. At the current state Majo no Tabitabi is rather mediocre fantasy series but it still have some potentials to be tapped should the 2nd season popping around.

Arknights Nendoroid 1635 Kaltsit

 

 GSC is quite quick on this one, being shown in Arknights CN 2nd Anniversary broadcast, Nendoroid Kaltsit is now available for preorder. Scheduled for January 2022 release, Nendoroid Kaltsit will be sold for 6900 Yen. For its price tag which fall on the pricier side of Arknights Nendoroids, Kaltsit doesn't come with much accessories to justify the price and i don't think M0nster miniature figure worth extra over 1000 Yen cost. 

In Arknights, Kaltsit is a 6* Medic Operator who serves as the Top Executives of Rhodes Island who manages things behind the scene while Amiya serve as leader figure and Doktah handle missions deployment. By far Kaltsit is the only Medic Operator with summon gimmick in which she can deploy creature called M0nster as powerful melee unit. In the Storyline Kaltsit treated Doktah rather coldly due to Doktah's Pre-amnesia actions though she is popularly depicted as Doktah's ex-wife within the Fandom. Kaltsit will be available as recruitable operator at the end of this year in Global server which certainly match well with the release timing of the Nendoroid. As for myself, i will be still waiting for Nendoroid Doktah and Skadi to follow up since they were revealed at the same timing with Kaltsit.

Arknights Figma 525 Chen

 

 Another significant milestone for Arknights! While the series is not the first Chinese Mobile Game series that got figma treatment which i think Girls Frontline gets the credit, it is still a commendable achievement by the industry. The Operator who gets the first dibs on the figma treatment is no other than the popular Dragon Waifu, Chen! Figma Chen will be scheduled for December release with 8000 Yen price tag.

Figma Chen came in minimalistic accessories which only include her Twin Blades and 3 Face plates. Unfortunately she doesn't have blushing face expression considering it is never featured on the official storyline. The Nendoroid version still comes with more accessories but i suppose the Figma Articulation should be decent enough. I suppose there is a good chance for other Arknights operators to follow up despite majority of the Top Operators had rather difficult designs to be implemented as Action Figures. From the existing operators that got Nendoroid treatment already, Exusiai, W and even Texas came to mind for good candidates to follow after Chen due to their simpler clothing design.

SRW OG HG Non-Scale Alteisen

 Bandai is utilizing the SRW IP for their Model Kits Product and this time Alteisen joined the party following after Cybuster. Scheduled for December Release, Bandai's version of Alteisen Model kit will be sold for 4000 Yen Price tag which is about 800 Yen cheaper compared to Kotobukiya's last version of the Old Iron.

 Debuted in SRW Compact/Impact, Alteisen piloted by ATX Team Leader Kyosuke Nanbu, remains to be one of the major presence in SRWOG to the latest iteration. In SRWOG series, Alteisen originally dubbed as Gespenst MkIII, is a Personal Trooper that boast tremendous firepower but had glaring flaw at the same time with its control issues which Kyosuke only able to pilot effectively due to his daredevil personality. In terms of design, Alteisen had a certain charm with its Bulkiness which came in right amount. To this day i still haven't exactly figured out the mecha used for Alteisen mecha design but chances Scopedog inspired the Alteisen Design considering Chirico Cuvie contributed alot for Kyosuke's Archetype. At this point, i think Daizengar or R-1 had better shot to be the next SRW OG Mecha to be made compared to Weissritter and others. Also Huckebein definitely will never come to light.

Ushio and Tora the animation

 

 Ushio and Tora is one of my favorite youkai themed Shonen manga to this day as it is one of the few series that managed to capture the essence of Shonen Genre through the adventure of a youth named Ushio who is tagged along with a Youkai called Tora. Few years ago, Studio Mappa which is in charge of recent popular anime adaptations such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Shingeki no Kyojin made 39 episodes adaptation for Ushio and Tora which i finally gave a watch recently.

 As expected, the anime adaptation of Ushio and Tora didn't really live up to the original counterpart, primarily due to skimping too much of the story material from the manga in order to make the series to fit within 39 Episodes.  This is inevitable since Japanese anime industry in the present state didn't have that luxury to make lengthy anime series anymore unless the animated series brings in big money. So in essence the anime version of Ushio and Tora only cover the Hakumen no Mono arc and ditch all of the side stories which are actually interesting and contributing significantly for the buildup of the final showdown. In any case despite its glaring flaw, the Anime version of Ushio and Tora still did its part decently on the story it cover and Ushio and Tora still remains the best Human Yokai duo team to this day. I feel Onmyoji Arena could have put a good use for this series as collab material.

Macross 7 1/7 Nekki Basara

 

Older Macross series in general tend to be neglected apart from the DYRL series. But out of the blue, Megahouse just decided to announce PVC Figure for Macross 7 featuring Nekki Basara and Mylene from Fire Bomber Band!  Nekki Basara figure comes in 1/7 scale and will be scheduled for December 2021 release with 15800 Yen Price Tag. 

  Macross Plus might be the best overall title from the series but Macross 7 will still remain to be my personal favorite. The series might have rocky start with the repetitive first half, but it redeem itself from 30th  Episode onward and concluded with a satisfying end. Being the lead vocalist of Fire Bomber, Nekki Basara himself is the legendary figure in a Macross series being the Main Protagonist who sets himself apart among his peers with his larger than life attitude and very capable VF pilot despite not being part of military outfit. Basara might be one dimensional on certain aspects, but he had achieved many amazing feats through his singing which are probably even not doable by most Macross Protagonist which is why he is able to carry Macross 7 mostly by himself. With the current popularity status of Macross 7, i doubt Ray and Veffidas will join Basara and Mylene in 1/7 Scale figure to complete the Fire Bomber Crew, but i love to see more merchandise for this series.

Arknights 1/7 Skadi Elite 2 Version

  It feels rather random that Kotobukiya able to make a figure out of Arknights series but they did and their first pick is no other than the Orca Waifu operator, Skadi! The 1/7 Scale figure is a straight faithful interpretation of Skadi's Elite 2 Illustration from the game. Kotobukiya 1/7 Skadi is scheduled for October release with 17000 Yen price tag which is just about the price for a medium range Scale figure nowadays. 

 In Arknights, Skadi is a Bounty Hunter from Aegir with mysterious past who debuted in Arknights first event quest. Recently the Chinese version had revealed more of her past and introduce her alternative 6* Supporter class which had a nuance of Cosmic horror. Interestingly Skadi's artworks in Arknights is made by an Indonesian illustrator named Alchemaniac, a testament that Japanese does not monopolize the 2D style animation anymore. 

 There is a good chance for me to get this figure since Skadi is my main reason of playing Arknights despite her underwhelming performance as Guard operator compared to other 6* Guard OP and i still keep her as the secretary to this day. With her level of popularity, i believe Skadi Summer and Alter version have a good shot of getting a Prize figure or Nendoroid and i think fans will even welcome more of Skadi's alternative class.

Ano Hana

 One of the few popular anime series in early 2010s by general anime community that really live up to its reputation. Usually Coming of age series are associated with joyful stuffs in general, but Ano Hana went with tearjerker and a really good one too. If you are able to finish this anime without shedding some tear, then kudos to you! considering Ano Hana is comparable with Clannad when it comes to this department.

 The premise of Ano Hana is about a group of teenagers who used to be inseparable close friends but drifted apart after a tragedy befell upon one member of the group which costed her life. The main character, being struck hardest with the tragedy made himself into a shut-in and apparently the only one who is able to see the ghost of his dead friend. Throughout the anime, the main character attempted to reunite now estranged group of his old friends to help their ghost friend to move onto afterlife and gain some sense of closure for themselves in order to move on.

Compared to Clannad, personally i feel that Ano Hana hits harder because Clannad still bother to give some good alternate happy ending while the parting message of Menma for the main protagonist is simply a critical hit with no brakes. With the quality of its writing, Ano Hana resonates toward the adult viewers quite well considering it is very good at evoking the sense of nostalgia of the simple and younger days of childhood. With this strong point, Ano Hana easily put itself onto the ageless anime category and the story will still remain relevant in 10 years to come. I think i will visit True Tears at some point since this series is mentioned along with Ano Hana when it comes to tearjerking anime.

Uma Musume Pretty Derby

 Making myself dig even deeper toward the Gacha Hell as i gave Uma Musume Pretty a try, it seems that i should consider quitting as Shikikan. The Second Season of Uma Musume is really good that it manage to make me bother to give the game a try which is still in Japanese until this time. Uma Musume Pretty Derby turns out to live up to its hype as the game dominates the Japanese gaming market by the storm after Cygames released the game early this year. To put it simply Uma Musume is a Hybrid Simulation Bishoujo game which mixes Moefied Horserace, Idols and training simulator which works out quite well somehow and not to mention the production value is Top Tier for a Gacha game. 

 In this post i will try to give some general guide to make the game easier to comprehend with the language barrier, but the game is easy enough to comprehend if you have basic knowledge of Japanese.

Giant Gorg

  A Rare Gem of 80s mecha series and a showcase what Sunrise could do with the genre if they don't make it for Toys Commercial. Giant Gorg is an adventure series which featured Mysterious Mecha named Gorg as the plot device. Instead of typical mecha series that action where the protagonist mecha fights monsters of the week, Giant Gorg falls more on the adventure side. The story of the series take place in a remote island in pacifict where a boy name Yuu tried to uncover the mystery of the island with giant mecha Gorg served as his guide, while fending off private armies of Giant Evil Corporation whose leader had interest on the Relics of advanced civilization relics that lies buried within the island. 

 Giant Gorg is one of the few series that use real-life setting in a mecha which is hard to pull off  considering you only get to see one sided affair between Giant Robot and Modern Military vehicles and it sticks at that level. Nevertheless Giant Gorg did well on the storyline which is quite an achievement for early 80s and the Mecha itself Gorg, exudes a presence of strength to be reckoned despite relying on its own fists most of the time . But obviously Giant Gorg was rather way ahead of its time for 5 years or more considering the consumer market was not ready for this kind of mecha series in early 80s which resulted the series faded in obscurity. In any case if you really want different kind of mecha experience, Giant Gorg worth a try.

Uma Musume Pretty Derby Second Season

  I had expected Uma Musume second season would capitalize the momentum made by the first season and made improvements from it, but for once this is one of the few that exceeds expectation. For the second season, Toukai Teio and Mejiro Mcqueen took the lead as the starring heroine role and create even more touching story of friendship and rivalry. With the success of First Season,  Cygames probably had more liberty for the story formula of second season and certainly make something good out of it to match the initial release of the game that had been delayed for quite a long time.

Unmei ni Ijiwaru (Fate is a jerk) - Tokai Teio

 With Teio who is a highly gifted Horsegirl as the Main Heroine, you would expect her story to reach the top would be a breeze but it was the opposite. With the high expectation to live up to and a Promise to fulfill with her rival Mejiro Mcqueen, Teio faced setbacks for the majority part of the 2nd Season. Compared to Silence Suzuka in season 1, Teio's struggle struck harder as faced consecutive hardships that crush her both physically and mentally to the brink that makes her almost retire. And things are not even easier for Mcqueen as she faced possibly even worse hardship. However both persevere in the end and Teio showed a miracle from her perseverance.

 Personally i am not that fond of Racehorse for anime theme as the activity are associated with shadier conduct of Elites to impoverish the lower class. While Uma Musume Pretty Derby probably overglossing certain aspect of the Entertainment, the second season could make a very touching story that resonates to many people to persevere through hard times like the current pandemic. In any case Uma Musume Pretty Derby second season is good enough to goad me trying the Gacha game which still only comes in Japanese version. As long as they keep the writer team of Uma Musume 2nd season, I think the third season should be well received and I think it is likely Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka getting the spotlight by that time. 

Uma Musume Pretty Derby Season 1

 

 Japanese animation had a knack of turning literally anything into cute girls. If they can turn Cosmic Horrors into cute anime girls, then racehorse is an easy task. Early this year Cygames gacha game, Uma Musume Pretty Derby stole the the spotlight featuring Horsegirls named after famous Race Horses as collectable waifus. Curious with the series, i gave the anime a try which was actually released back in 2018. Overall Pretty Derby is your typical Sports flavored cute kemonomimi girls doing cute things anime but the production value is high nonetheless and the take on Racehorses turned into cute girls works out surprisingly well. Uma Musume storyline follows the standard formula of the typical Japanese Sports Battle Manga where the gifted main protagonist which is Special Week for this one aims to be at the top of the sport, complete with overseas rival to be beaten, reflecting the collective unfulfilled wish.

 While i find Uma Musume fusing Idol business with Horserace to be rather weird combo, i do actually enjoy the race part since the passion is well conveyed. The first season probably took a safe route as the creator focus abit too much on main heroine, Special Week and her relationship with her best friend Silence Suzuka. As Special Week feels too vanilla due to her main heroine role, Personally i root for Mejiro Mcqueen, Grass Wonder and Teio which the last one really reminds me of Grani from Arknights. As of now i am moving on the second season which apparently feature Mcqueen and Teio in the spotlight and i think i could expect better with more liberty given from the 1st season success. If will definitely give a try if Uma Musume Gacha Game ever got official translation.

Yami Playing Monster Hunter Rise

  The main reason of my inactivity of past two weeks and i am really glad to be back into Monster Hunter verse once again with MHGU being my last MH Game in past few years. At first i didn't particularly care about this game, but being goaded by my old hunting buddies i had no choice but reciprocate the call. Being the truly new MH Title for Nintendo Switch, Monster Hunter Rise offers a solid new start for one of the best selling Capcom series to date. MH Rise begins with a very good first impression along with the best Questgiver waifus to date. In MHR, the Hunter starts in Kamura village which is pretty much improvised Yukumo village slapped with tons of Ninjas theme. There are so much to tell about the gameplay improvement mechanics but MHR, but notably those QoL enhancements from Monster Hunter World so no more stupid flexing pose when drinking potions! Also you get you own Dog companion called Palamute which you can ride to travel around the maps quickly which certainly make the Palicoes felt overshadowed.

 Overall Monster Hunter Rise provides a solid gameplay experience for Monster Hunter which sheds a lot of redundant baggage from previous generations. No doubt Monster Hunter as series is one of the few that managed to have consistent improvements throughout its iterations which is a great achievement for Japanese Console Gaming industry that has been slowly in deline. The only flaw for MHR would be its current limited roster especially on the low-mid range which is probably due to the game was rushed ahead 3-6 months ahead of its development, but at very least Capcom are still addressing this issue with constant update. While the G-Rank expansion will be coming eventually, MHRise content still worth more than its retail price despite its current roster is still about half of MHGU. At the moment i have cleared all village Quest and now slowly moving on the Hub Quests. Looking forward to get the Teostra set in this game once again!

Disgaea RPG

 While i thought my mobile game plate is quite full with 3 Gacha Game already, somehow i still managed to shove another one in, and this time it is Disgaea RPG based from Nippon Ichi's acclaimed SRPG series! I decided to give this game a try since my sister hyped about this game which got recent english port early this month. I remembered that Nippon Ichi back then was in dire strait when trying to release the Japanese version but fortunately made it through. If you are a fan of the console Disgaea series, you will find it right at home with Disgaea RPG as it still carry the spirit of Disgaea series despite its gacha format. The game is still a grindfest but still less then a chore for those who don't have time to grind in the console game anymore. I picked Valvatorez as my starter SSR since Disgaea 4 is my favorite among the title and waiting for Artina, Tyrant and Almaz eventual release.

While Disgaea is rather late getting into the Gacha mobile market, the gameplay has decent and its potential is sufficient enough to stay for a while. I don't really expect Disgaea RPG to be a top selling Gacha since the audience it caters is rather niche and the SSR rate are not particularly generous either dropping at 3% with no pity rate. At very least the game is quite dolphin friendly if you just want to spend a bit and not full on whale. 

The main reason i decided to throw some lot with Disgaea RPG lies with the potential it possess. The game has possibility to consolidate all of Nippon Ichi RPG series with Disgaea at its core, would love to see Makai Kingdom or Phantom Brave to make cameo appearance someday. Disgaea series remain to be one of the RPG series that has superb 2D sprite and this gacha game could make good reuse of the assets because a single game could only put in so much unit without getting bloated. From what i looked at the Japan version, Disgaea RPG managed to survive for two years so far so at very least i believe the english version will be around for a year.

Arknights Nendoroid 1598 Lappland

 As expected, the slightly crazy and obsessive Lupo Operator, Lappland chase after Texas after the latter get her Nendoroid treatment. With the Nendoroid Lappland release announcement you are now able to complete the Warehouse team consisting of Exusiai, Texas and Lappland. Scheduled for November release Nendoroid Lappland will be sold for 6300 Yen costing slightly more than Nendoroid Texas. Lappland's crazy expression will certainly complement Texas unamused expression faceplate.

 In Arknights, Lappland is a 5* Ranged Guard Operator who makes a good starter unit with the utility she brings into the field. While her sword design is rather weird, Lappland is one of the few melee unit capable of dealing arts damage with her skill and more importantly disable enemy ability with her strike which is a godsend when fighting against the pesky exploding spiders. In the storyline, Lappland is depicted to have unhealthy obsession toward Texas due to their times in crime family where they were at each others throat. What stands out from the Nendoroid version of Lappland is her Wolf Spirit accessory which is probably the reason why her Nendoroid cost 700 Yen more compared to Texas. While the pace is not quite as fast, we will still be seeing more Arknights Nendoroids in the future which likely be 6* operators which Angelina, Saria or Skadi comes to mind as the best candidate.
 

Space Runaway Ideon

 

 One of the infamous 80s mecha series made by Tomino that contributes to his moniker as "Kill em all" Tomino and Ideon no doubt serves as an important milestone for mecha series. My first exposure with Ideon was from SRW Alpha 3 where the GM God is the most powerful playable unit which had some nasty side effects if relying too much of its power. Space Runaway Ideon is easily one of the most depressing mecha anime out there as the main casts of the series tried to survive assaults by relentless enemy. 

 As a mecha series, Ideon is rather subpar with lackluster storyline, but the concept that it had is what makes Ideon noteworthy. Ideon's storyline is comparable to what happen if the story of Mobile Suit Gundam is just all about White Base getting chased by Zeons and nothing else. The concept that Ideon tried to convey however is interesting because it is about a destructive power that will consume everything in its path when two opposing sides endlessly fight in vicious cycle of hatred without giving a chance for peace. Evangelion and Shingeki no Kyojin is what comes to mind to series that had similar premise but each went with their own conclusions. As a mecha fans, Ideon is definitely worth a visit despite its weakness and personally i think it has some neat concept art that inevitably poorly executed. If you can't stomach the 38 Episodes slogfest, the movie should work i suppose but To Be Invoked definitely a must watch to see a proper conclusion of the mecha series that had GM God as its titular mecha.

Arknights 1/7 Exusiai Elite 2

 For once we are getting Arknights PVC figure distributed by GSC though this one falls on pricier side. The ever reliable pointman Sniper operator gets a 1/7 PVC treatment based on her Elite 2 Promotion illustration. The 1/7 Exusiai PVC Figure will be sold for 23000 Yen with November 2021 release schedule. I suppose the price range for this one is rather steep compared to the Arknights PVC Figure manufactured by APEX, but i suppose it has something to do with the products distributed by GSC Shanghai which cost extra compared to regular Japan release. In any case Exusiai Elite 2 PVC figure is a high end collectible for Arknights catered for those whale players and i will still wait POP UP Parade release for the series. As for Exusiai herself, she is a reliable Sniper operator who is belongs to the original Big 3 6* Operators but as of late, her performance is rather underwhelming due to prevalence of High armor enemies on later stages and the recent Rainbow 6 Collab Operator Ash seems to overshadow the Apple Pie Angel Sniper.

Shingeki no Kyojin manga finale

 One of the most popular shonen manga in the past few years has finally come to an end with its 139th chapter! I avoided Shingeki no Kyojin as the majority of the fandoms seems to be filled by edgy teens for otherwise a Shonen Manga series that had some good writing and particularly excel at emotional rollercoaster. The ending for Shingeki no Kyojin did not conclude with a high note, but it is still an acceptable one. Ultimately the atrocity that Eren carried upon himself as expected does not conclude the cycle of hatred between Eldian and the World, but it resets the playing field into a blank slate giving opportunity for both while the former still have an upper hand. At very least Eren's aim to save his friend's life still works.

 While the last chapter conclude majority of the plot, due to the rushed job nature it still leave some questions unanswered particularly Historia's baby father which is supposed to be a big deal. I think the finale was not in Isayama sensei full control as there many interests from all side and Kodansha definitely had a say on how the finale folded out. This is because Shingeki no Kyojin as a franchise are still worth milking and thus the conclusion are quite open-ended. I personally think one extra chapter could serve as good icing but i hope it won't lead to the same fate like Naruto with the Boruto debacle. In any case Shingeki no Kyojin still earn its place as a top tier shonen manga.

March 2021 Loot

 I think my spendings for Toys over past three months are quite overkill since i got myself a solid range of hauls in this time range. This months loot represents my collection target quite well which are balance of Mecha and FGO related merchandise with few outliers lies in between. The best catch of this month's loot is no doubt the SCM Sagittarius Aiolos which i had been looking for a playable substitute for the God Cloth version. I think i could cover reviews for the loots in this batch quite quick since i am planning a desert theme for future review which most would fit quite well. In any i really need to work on the Gundam Ensemble since the backlog has piled up to 4 volumes already.