Aura Battler Dunbine Robot Damashii Sirbine Review

The Majestic Silver Knight of  the Byston Well!

Space Pirate Captain Harlock

 The second Leiji Matsumoto's Space Opera i watched after Yamato, while not as epic as the latter, it still got its own merit. Space Pirate Captain Harlock no doubt is the pioneer swashbuckling space adventure as the series starring free spirited captain with crew of misfits as the casts. In the series the main character Captain Harlock embarks on a solo crusade against Femme Fatale Alien Race called Mazone to protect person he cherished on Earth. 

 For a series from 70s, Space Pirate Captain Harlock doesn't age quite well but it still did something right as well as having good Opening theme just like Yamato. Personally i can't really take things seriously with the series because some of the elements had over the top executions, For instance overly incompetent earth government and the protagonist literally wage a war against millions of Alien Army with a single ship manned by crew of Hobbits. Perhaps due to losing badly in world war 2 decades ago, Japanese had some obsession with one man army miracle or wonder weapon which is quite apparent in 70s Scifi anime. Nevertheless Captain Harlock served as a very good Stoic archetype and Queen Rafflesia herself is quite a beauty. I think there are good chemistry between the two and the Queen Rafflesia no doubt will be quite a beauty with a modern makeover. A reboot version of the series just like Yamato 2199 would have been a good idea though we will probably need to wait until the next Yamato series to be finished first.

Rewatching GaoGaiGar

 My journey with Yuusha series started with Gaogaigar 10 years ago. It was my gateway toward Super Robot series  and i remember fondly the King of Braves as a very good mecha series with its seemingly endless supply of Hotblood even though i thought the mecha design was rather weird at the time. Now things are coming in full circle as i am ending my pilgrimage of Yuusha series by revisiting this series once again in the full Glory of  Bluray version. As i have completed all previous 7 Yuusha series, i am able to appreciate things that i was taking for granted back then. For instance the monster of the week formula of GGG is quite refined actually, owing to the accumulated experience from its predecessors. As of now i have been marathoning up to 2/3rd of the show and gathering plenty of materials for a proper article that this show deserved. Gaogaigar Final will be probably a separate article because this penultimate title of the Yuusha series deserve much more fanfare.

Chogokin Pacman

 When it comes to collectibles, my area of interest tend to be very focused. But depending on circumstances i do make exceptions from time to time and it seems i found yet another item belong to this category. As a part of 40th anniversary of the Pacman series, Bandai released series of toys collectibles for the classic series including a Diecast Chogokin toy. The Chogokin Pacman will be scheduled for August 2021 release with 8000 yen price tag.

 The Diecast mecha version of Pacman is a big deal because the lineup is surprisingly good actually. Usually featuring Sanrio characters, Bandai's Chogokin will give you a taste of Soul of Chogokin in bite size with its sheer weight. The recent Chogokin Hello Kitty Gundam are quite good actually and this one shouldn't disappoint as long as the gimmick properly done. Personally i think Doraemon would be a good candidate for similar treatment.

Fate/Stay Night EXQ Rider Medusa Review

 The Bridle of Chivalry descends like a shooting star

Digimon Vital Bracelet

 Digivices is usually what comes in mind for Digimon Electronic Toys products and this years had been quite plentiful for those types. But Bandai came with yet another surprise and recently they unveiled a rather unexpected lifestyle product dubbed Digimon Vital Bracelet! From the first glance the product looks similar to Pokemon Go watch which is used in tandem with phone app and you can raise Digimons from this one!

 Digimon Vital Bracelet will be scheduled for March 2021 release with 3 color variants. The Normal variants come in White and Black color are sold for 5800 Yen while the special Yellow edition cost 6600 Yen and come with extra Dim Card. The starter Digimons are determined by USB stick like device named Dim Card which each Digimon Vital Bracelet comes with the new flagship digimon named Pulsemon for this lineup. But there are available separate variety of Dim Card which cost 1600 Yen for a pack of 2 which there are 2 available versions available on release. I used to have Digivice X Antibody series mid this year but sold it away since i can't really commit into it, but i think the Vital Bracelet could be of some use since i have been running quite regularly from December last year. As obvious, if the products is well received we could expect more digimon available for the Vital bracelet with 2nd and 3rd Gen Digimons be the likeliest candidates.

The available variant of Dim Cards that are sold separately

Adventure Bar Story

  One of my recently cleared backlog from 3DS and this one surprisingly a good time sink. Ages ago, I have tried Adventure Bar Story back on mobile phone but only fully committed with the game on my 3DS. Adventure Bar Story is basically a Classic JRPG with simple simulation mechanics thrown into the mix where you play as a restaurant owner climbing up to the top, gathering your own ingredients from Dungeon and Monsters. For a game that appear to come out from RPG Maker, Adventure Bar Story surprisingly able to offer vast amount of content despite its limitations and you will spend hours trying to complete your Recipe without using walkthrough.

 Adventure Bar Story may not be flashy, but it is decent enough to make me clock over 30 Hours of playing time. The old school vibe of this game really reminds me of  Summon Night game on GBA which had crafting as part of its mechanics. The progression in Adventure Bar Story is directly tied to the Restaurant Fame in which daily sales and contest ranks are essential. For the party members, Lidia and Elias are the best ones when it comes for resource farming due to their abilities. Lastly always bring a party member that can steal in Boss fight as some of the unique equipments including the endgame stuffs are only available through such means. For its intention, I think the 3DS copy is the definitive version of Adventure Bar Story since the developer probably refined the game a lot to make it a proper console JRPG. Personally i could see the game could have some sequel but at very least i can still settle with the spinoff roguelike Adventure Labyrinth story.

Arknights Nendoroid 1522 Eyjafjalla

 

 The last of the Big 3 Arknights Operator to get the Nendoroid treatment and this one looks promising! In Arknights together with Silverash and Exusiai, Eyjafjalla are the Top 3 6* operators being the best in her class, excelling in the role of cutting down swathes of armored opponents with her powerful skill. The Sheep Kouhai will be released for 5500 Yen with August 2021 release schedule. I think so far Eyjafjalla is the only Arknights Nendoroid that got the operator's spirit animal as part of the accessory

 Named after a volcanic mountain, Eyjafjalla is a Catastrophe Messenger joining Rhodes Island for her oripathy treatment. She is the best general purpose Single-targe Caster Operator in the game that possess powerful abilities that makes her capable to outclass AOE caster in their role. Her Skill 3 Volcano simply melts anything with low Arts resistance and not many enemies are capable to survive the full brunt of this skill making her one of the prime candidates for difficult missions such as contigency contract. Due to the top-tier position in her class, Amiya is often made the butt joke of being overshadowed by Eyjafjalla and ignored by doctor in favor of the adorable Sheep Kouhai.

 Eyjafjalla is definitely one of the better Arknights Nendoroid so far mirroring her popularity in the game. For the next Arknights Nendoroids, i think Magallan or Angelina had a good shot or even Texas should GSC consider to release a Nendoroid for 5* Operators.

Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel III Spring Song

 The conclusion of Fate/Stay Night 3rd Route trilogy movie and Ufotable certainly gives a proper wrap up befitting for the legendary series! Heaven's feel might be the last of the FSN Route to get anime adaptation but it was a boon too because Ufotable could deliver some of the top tier animation quality that the series deserves. 

  Heaven's Feel had some of the best writing in FSN because delves into the background of the series settings, showcasing Kinoko Nasu's talent at worldbuilding which has been the main selling point of his works. In the VN, HF route has rather slow beginning but it has the best endgame part with intense action chock full of manliness. Therefore the third part of the Heaven's Feel Movie adaptation is the most crucial one and suffice to say Ufotable doesn't disappoint! While i can't say the movie to be perfect, at least Ufotable handled the important parts properly and that's what matters the most. Just like the VN, the MVP of the Heaven's Feel Movie are still Illya and Kirei which the respective Seiyuu performed their respective role really well. If it was not for the COVID pandemic, this movie would have received much of the fanfare it deserves.

 Personally Sakura is probably the least popular of all FSN Main Heroine because Saber and Rin just shine too brightly. But over the time i do appreciate her character and the length Shirou goes to in order to save her proves her merit. Each of the FSN Main heroines had their own merits and as for Sakura, she is Shirou's best partner if he wished to settle down for a peaceful tranquil life. Unless Japan's economy took a nosedive, it is just a matter of time before Fate route is given a remake since FSN need to wrap up with the Realta Nua ending and i will contribute my part as well. 

Sengoku Rance 1/8 Sill Plain Review

The lovestruck slave follows her master faithfully

Yami's 3rd year with Fate/Grand Order

 Third time is a charm and I managed to survive the Salt Purgatory yet again! 2020 has been a hectic year with the COVID Pandemic but it has been quite a bountiful year for my journey in Fate/Grand Order NA. By this year i have consolidated my gains with this Salt simulator and also reached some significant milestones at the same time.

Gundam Converge EX-30 RX-104FF Penelope Review

A little of Hathaway's Flash bite-sized treat!

Densetsu no Yuusha Da Garn

 Gaogaigar was my next destination after completing my Journey of Yuusha series with Mightgaine as I intend to savor the Culmination of the Yuusha series after accumulating experiences with its predecessors. But before I settled my business with King of Braves, i took short detour to Da Garn once again. Being an actual pivotal entry for Yuusha series, I decided to gather materials for to make a much deserved proper article for Da Garn matching my previous Yuusha series post.

Gundam Converge EX-34 Xi Gundam

 2020 has not been a good year for Hathaway's flash as the movie airing for this year is cancelled. However as the Movie airing resumed for May next year, so does the merchandise follow suit. Soon after EX-33 Neue Ziel, the 34th slot is allocated for Xi Gundam in order to catch up with Penelope. While no fixed release schedule yet, Converge EX Xi Gundam will be sold for 3500 Yen. Compared to Penelope, the Converge version of Xi rather lacks in bulk and if it doesn't come with many accessories, it will be one of the more lackluster entry for the lineup. Personally i would prever to see Ensemble version of Xi which probably could accomplish more than the the static posed Converge series. Considering the momentum for Hathaway Flash is picking up again, i should put the review for Converge Penelope soon

Alter 1/7 Saber Alter Dress version

  No doubt the most definitive version of Salter PVC Figure up until now and so far none has beaten Alter for the Ice Queen. Last time the Dress version of Saber Alter was up for preorder in 2018 and now Alter opened a rerun which is probably the 3rd time since there are still strong demand for this particular version of Salter. For this time, Saber Alter 3rd Ascension Dress version will be scheduled for November 2021 release with 15800 Yen Price tag. Up until now Alter's Salter Dress figure brings out the most feminine charm of the usually expressionless Ice Queen with good options of variety. When i handled preorder for this item for one of my customer last year, i regretted that i sought the cheaper option which was Ichiban Kuji which certainly doesn't stand up with Alter's. 

  The 3rd ascension version of Saber Alter PVC figure definitely complement well with Jalter Dress figure made by Max Factory last year, who knows this might be my first collection from Alter. In any case there is a chance for Figma for Salter 3rd ascension too since her popularity eclipsed the vanilla version when it comes to merchandise.