Yuusha Shirei Dagwon Metamorforce Fire Dagwon

  Finally a proper Collectors Toy for Fire Dagwon but alas it is made by Sentinel so it is guaranteed to be pricey. Just like the King J-Der, Amakuni will be the one handling the distribution of the product for some reason. Scheduled for December 2023 release, Metamorforce Fire Dagwon will be sold for 42000 Yen, quite a commitment for the fans of this Yuusha series.

 For a Collectible of this price, Metamorforce obviously come with the perfect transformation gimmick though I feel its legs are rather too chunky probably because it doesn't use parts swap. Fire Dagwon held a special place in my heart because it is one of the Robot toys I remembered to possess when I was a kid vividly and which is why I am willing to compromise over the price tag. Apparently Sentinel will commit for Power Dagwon and Gunkid for the rest entry of this series but I will only be interested to get Fire Dagwon considering I think Dagwon's final form is one of the worst from Yuusha series.

John Wick Chapter 4

 It has been a while since I watched any movie and Keanu Reeves deliver yet again in John Wick 4th movie. I got into this series when I watched 2nd Movie and this series set itself apart with its amazing fight choreography. I haven't watched 3rd movie but John Wick make himself clear why he is called boogeyman in the world of assassins in the 2nd movie. I thought the body count couldn't be any higher but John Wick Chapter 4 will give the fans an entertainment befitting the legacy of John Wick series. Given how the ending of the movie goes, Keanu Reeves have relative freedom to continue the series or held his head high and wrap up John Wick series with a bang with the 4th Movie. Also Donnie Yen performance is surprisingly really good since i thought he really shine better in a kungfu movie.

 To put it simply, John Wick is definitely a man of Focus, Commitment and Sheer Will. If he is an RPG character, his Dexterity and Constitution stats would be off the charts. His inhuman endurance is what impresses me the most considering he still can keep going despite taking so much punishment that could kill easily 10 men already and able to keep going with his sheer willpower. While i can't say much about the storyline since I am out of loop with the series, you won't be disappointed if you go watch this movie for the action.
 

SRW OG Riobot G Compatible Kaiser

 Early 2023 has been a very good year for SRW OG fans or maybe a curse for the wallet since Hobby manufacturers in the industry are starting to make Toy Collectible for the series. After Yaldabaoth and Valefor, Sentinel released yet another Super Robot and G Compatible Kaiser is the lucky one. Sold as separate unit of Compatible Kaiser and G Thunder will be sold for 42000 and 10000 Yen respectively with subsequent release schedule of February and April 2024. So expect to fork out money almost as much as Riobot SRX with the combined price tag of 52000 Yen!

G Compatible Kaiser at this form makes its appearance in SRW OG Gaiden though you get to play a bit in OGs part 2 as Compatible Kaiser. Just like SRX, Sentinel's rendition of SRW's Sol Gravion will have partial diecast parts included. This super robot is a big deal in the realm of mecha design because it is the culmination of Masami Obari's craft in mecha industry and perfected version of Sol Gravion. And Obari chose this design to contribute to SRW series along with Shurouga for SRW Z. To be honest I am very tempted to get this version of G Compatible Kaiser since it would be a perfect representation for Gravion and at the same time my regret not getting the Kotobukiya model kit which only cost 8000 Yen back then. In any case I really look forward to new version of Wildwurger and Granveil someday

Legend of Galactic Heroes Die Neue These : Sakubou

  Took me couple of years to return back to Die Neue These, but i am very glad that I get to finish marathoning up to the latest cour of the legendary space opera remake in anticipation for the peak moment of LoGH due in next production season. Die Neue These: Sakubou is the 4th Cour of the LoGH remake which comparitively lack in the combat department when compared to previous seasons but in the political scenes, the balls are rolling for the epic showdown of Operation Ragnarok and the last episode really conclude the season with very high note. By the 3rd season, Studio IG really show attempts to try live up to the OVA legacy with expanding on certain scene down further in order which can be hit or miss. However the effort is evident enough to prove Studio IG Production team respect toward this legendary Space Opera despite DNT kinda lag 4 episodes behind the original OVA at this point. 

As someone who have watched the OVA several times before. Trust me you will not want to miss the 5th season because it will cover one of the highest peak moment of the series. I just hope the 5th season will cover the FPA preparation side properly because the Galactic Empire occupies most of the limelight of DNT 4th season.

Kenka Ramen

 Another good cooking manga from the Author of Shoku King, These two mangas are the definitive works of the genre by the Mangaka for sure. While Shoku King caters the readers with Japanese culinary world, Kenka Ramen is strictly Japanese Ramen only for the entirety of its 17 Volumes. The main protagonist of this series is a delinquent teenage boy turned into a passionate Ramen Chef who will undertook Journey from his hometown to Hakata in order to create his perfect ramen encountering varieties of Delicious Ramen.

For cooking manga, Kenka Ramen is as shonen as it gets and I will look forward to putthe knowledge imparted from this manga into good use when I travel to Japan someday. Interestingly some characters from this manga will make a cameo appearance in Goku Shoku King which is a nice touch for both readers for instance one of the Rival that the protagonist face will serve as main adversary for Kitakata later on. The mangaka for these series himself has passed on for quite some time but his work definitely worth to read.
 

Riki Oh

 

 80s era was graced with Hokuto no Ken which is an ultraviolent battle manga which paves the way for many mangaka to follow suit and Riki Oh is one that sits on the extreme end of the ultra-violence. When I was a kid, I watched a HK Movie with the same name and the impressions that lingered were the over the top violence and extreme gorefest for the medium. Turns out the original source material does not stray far from it. 

The main protagonist in this series is basically Kenshiro Clone fighting in pre-apocalypse modern era who lives a live of a vagrant and kept getting entangled with outlaws from underworld. Riki-Oh is basically Saitama's Uncle whose gore filter turned off and his strikes capable of dismembering or blowing off his opponents with ease. To put it simply, Riki-Oh tried to make itself a name by surpassing Hokuto no Ken in the gorefest department which it succeeds at considering the manga last for 12 Volumes. To be honest apart from the over the top Gorefest, Riki-oh doesn't have much to offer with barely coherent manga, Bleak atmosphere to the point of tryhard and lastly unmemorable characters, considering none of the villain are charismatic enough for readers to cheer on. In any case the mangaka of this series later will make a name for himself with Tough fighting manga.

SHF Devilman DC 50th Anniversary edition

 A rather unusual release by Bandai but SHF Devilman got released again as a part of 50th anniversary. I am not sure if this one is any different with the 2017 version but the Yen inflation is very apparent. Scheduled for July 2023 release, SHF Devilman will be sold for 11000 Yen.

 Apparently this version of Devilman have compatible parts for SOC Mazinger DC considering this version is from Devilman vs Mazinger Movie. To be honest this would be an instanty buy if Bandai released Amon Devilman Saga version which looks like a power armor version of Devilman. The series was rather difficult to get into for me at first, but Devilman is definitely an acquired taste which Go Nagai sensei shared his spiritual worldview through this work. After watching Devilman Crybaby, i went further buy reading Devilman Lady and Saga which is a must read if you wish to see the continuity of the series after the depressing end of first Devilman. I hope that the translation for Devilman Saga will be worked on consistent pace because it is supposed to be the penultimate conclusion of this Go Nagai's classic series.

Arknights Monster Hunter Collab event

 Since the Capcom collaboration announcement with Arknights last year, the Monster Hunter collaboration content have been revealed just now and the hype is real! Initially some people have been expecting Resident Evil or Devil May Cry collab but Monster Hunter the one that ended up chosen by Hypergryph. The MH Collab will be available in Arknights CN on March 7th and we will expect the collab will be available on Global around Late August-September. 

For this collab event Rhodes Island Operator Yato and Noir Corne will make appearance as 6* Specialist and 5* Guard Operator respectively complete with signature Kirin and Rathalos Monster Hunter Armor. After being stuck as 2* operator for so long it is time for these veteran Rhodes Island operator to show their worth. I Suppose the event will feature MH monsters as the enemies with some of the Wyverns will serve as Boss enemy which I look forward how Hypergryph will handle it.

This collab is boon for both series as MH is not as big anymore and Arknights could use very good collab to one up the competition while games like FGO and Genshin left falling behind with their recent blunders. Speaking of Arknights, I have been playing this game for 3 Years already and the gacha experience is very stable even if the gratification is not the best. For my part i will support this rare collab by buying monthly pass until the collab arrives at global server considering this years banner is very competitive with many Alter and meta Operator Banners lying around for next 6 months. Lastly I do hope the MH collab will not stop at this event because there are many more Monster Armors that deserve to make an appearance