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.