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