The Apothecary Diaries

  Manga series with Ancient Chinese setting are rather uncommon and even more so for the really good one. There is this particular series called Apothecary Diaries that has been gaining popularities on my social media feed thus I give this series a try. Based from a popular Light Novel series with same name, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto or The Apothecary Diaries is a slice of life manga featuring young girl named Maomao who possess rare talent of medicine and eccentric personality that found herself end up working in the Inner Court of Chinese Imperial Palace under the wing of equally eccentric yet Handsome Eunuch.With her medicine knowledge and uncanny Problem Solving ability from her background growing up in Red Light District. Maomao will explore the court Intrigues while at the same time constantly gaining patronage of powerful individuals throughout her adventure in the Imperial Chinese Court.

Warhammer 40k Joytoy 1/18 Warmaster Horus Lupercal

 By far this is probably the biggest bombshell released by Joytoy for their 40k Horus Heresy Lineup. The main actor of Horus Heresy, The Warmaster Horus Lupercal in his Chaos version finally make his grand entrance with so much fanfare joining Joytoy 40k 1/18 Action figure! Scheduled for July 2024, 1/18 Warmaster Horus will be sold for 180 USD SRP with Sons of Horus version of Abaddon joining in along with his progenitor as well. Complete with his Talon of Horus and Worldbreaker, Joytoy Horus is certainly a presence to be reckoned with as he leads his Sons of Horus to overthrow his father Emperor.

March 2024 Loot

 Another massive looking hauls this time despite it does not necessarily surpass the Early year one in terms of Value and deceptively. Just like my hauls from over past one year my loots this time are still predominantly Chinese made stuff with a handful of heavy duty Japanese series. Obviously the main star of this batch is no doubt the Metamorforce Fire Dagwon which is one of my personal favorite Yuusha but slightly disappointed that It will be rather small compared to THE GATTAI version despite having almost double price point. The next focal point from this haul would be bunch of Sluban Robot Lego Kit which are mostly from Super Mecha Champion series which I got into recently and the end products are very impressive for its price point. 

Then by this point Joytoy 40k will be almost appear in my monthly haul of 40k Hauls and this time got some more named characters joining the rank. It doesn't took long for Rogal Dorn to join Lion and probably around next month his Imperial Fists children will follow up. I also got some Genshin collectibles despite not amused with their treatments for player and I might try get Keqing Acrylic stand in near future just to complete the Sword Maiden trio set. Lastly I never consider myself a Saint Seiya fan but got myself a limited edition of Pegasus Seiya from the Tamashii Ultraman Event early this month. While I am very grateful with my current financial situation who could afford my hobby with my disposable income, lacking free time as a working adult is a pain at times indeed.

Dune - Part Two

 Last week I finally had some time to watch the highly anticipated 2nd part of Dune Movie in IMAX format which definitely give the best overall experience for this movie adaptation of the legendary Sci-Fi series. I have been looking forward to this sequel part as finally we got to see how the Scion of Atreides gather the necessary power to exact the rightful vengeance upon the House of Harkonnen and the Emperor who are responsible of bringing the downfall of House Atreides.

Overall Dune- Part Two is a very wonderful experience in terms of Audiovisual befitting for an epic Sci-Fi. However when it comes to the storytelling part, It rather lacks consistency for some reason. I would say Dune Novel is not exactly the easiest source material to work with in Movie Format, but there are parts that could have been done well in Dune part two given the amount of budget yet still fell short for some reason.

 In terms of visual, Dune part two had some really good moments like the Harkonnen Gladiator scene and Fremen vs Sardaukar opening scene but fails to capitalize on the momentum. Batista the former WWE Top Card for instance could have used more scene to portray his ferocity as Rabban Harkonnen instead of being a constant jobber throughout the second movie. For some reason I still prefer the actor that played the role of Paul Atreides from the 80s version instead of the current one, perhaps because the latter kinda lack the Gravitas of natural born leader noble prince who had the balance of courage and wisdom despite having the better youthful look. But the biggest letdown for me from Dune - Part Two would be the lack of final showdown between Fremen and Sardaukar in the final battle despite the first movie alrd had some kickass scenes.

I suppose it will take yet another adaptation for Dune series that have the perfect portrayal of one of the most influential western Sci-Fi series. Despite the immense production value, the current version of Dune Movie just lack that special factor to be longlasting like the original Star Wars series. While I am not fully amused with the second part of Dune Movie, I will still give the Part Three movie a watch because the IMAX viewing experience is still something else and hopefully it will fix the glaring issue that Dune - Part Two had.

Mechatalk Final Gear: Cynthia - Judgement Star

  Final Gear's fate maybe sealed but I am still delivering Final Gear Mechatalk without fail every weekend which now reached up to the 35th entry! Won't be having UR this time but this one will explore more about Hexel Faction's Families syndicate which are the major power of the burgeoning new nation answerable to the Matriarch Witches of Hexel themselves. So the 35th Final Gear mechatalk will feature the prominent member of Condemner Family, the Head of Judgement Star gang, Cynthia.

Sluban Super Mecha Champion Brick Robots

 If I had to talk about how I got into Super Mecha Champions, It would be due to my random encounter with Sluban product for this series. Around 2022 when Netease was somewhat still active to promote Super Mecha Champions, they approached Chinese Brick Toys company called Sluban which is a big player and one of the many counterparts of Lego in Mainland China. Long story short, out of this collab of Netease and Sluban, Super Mecha Champions got themselves couple of Cool looking Lego Brick Toys for couple of their mechs. These Robot brick toys come with some articulation and even capable of replicating some of the mechs gimmick.

 I have obtained several of the available models personally and the quality is certainly beyond expectations and still would love to obtain Hot Steel or Hurricane at very least if possible. While I really doubt that Sluban would be interested to continue the SMC Lineup, their products show a good glimpse what kind Mecha merchandise that this Potential Triple-A Mecha series could have. I am still hoping that other Chinese Toy manufacturer will be interested to pick up this series some day.

Dragon Ball - That Time I got Reincarnated as Yamcha

 Continuing my homage to Toriyama-sensei, this time I will talk about a particular Spin Off manga of Dragon Ball. After DBZ Manga, Dragon Ball still got healthy amount of spin off Mangas even though not as extensive as the anime counterpart. But one does not expect an Isekai series for a Dragon Ball Spin Off which in fact turns out to be a pretty good one.

 That Time I got reincarnated as Yamcha is a short story of Highschool Fan of Dragon Ball who went through the usual Isekai procedure and somehow find himself reincarnated as Yamcha, one of the weakest member of Z Fighters. Using his extensive knowledge as Dragon Ball fans, the main protagonist took all means possible to get himself as Yamcha to his highest potential which ultimately lead up to his showdown with Nappa and Vegeta. Overall this DBZ Isekai Spin Off is a rather short one yet very amusing for while it last. If the author wishes for it, He could have make the story to cover until Majin Buu arc. In any case given the tremendous legacy of Toriyama-sensei we could expect plenty of Tributes for his work which may include another Isekai series if the demand is great enough.

Ultraman Blazar The Movie: Tokyo Kaiju Showdown

 I was never exactly a big follower of Tokusatsu series whether it is Kamen Rider or Ultraman despite growing up with them. But given that Tsuburaya and local business partner made a really massive effort to bring a Superb Ultraman event to promote Ultraman Blazar at one of the local Mall. This event include the premier screening of Ultraman Blazar Movie dubbed Tokyo Kaiju Showdown. What makes this screening very special is that some of the main casts of Ultraman Blazar came down themselves from Japan to make an appearance and greet the fans personally before performing on the main stage later on evening along with Earth Garon and Ultraman Blazar!

 Ultraman Blazar is probably the most recent Ultraman series that I watched since the Heisei series like Tiga, Gaia, Dyna and Cosmos. While I am not exactly the big fan of Tokusatsu, I would say the movie is a very decent watch and good one for the targeted Kids Demographics. Personally being a mecha fan as always, I am attracted to Earth Garon the most which I never expected coming from Ultraman series before I watched Blazar. Ultraman Blazar might had a rather strange synergy between Ultraman and Mecha Kaiju as a selling point but this one actually works out quite well. Given the extra dedicated effort made by Ultraman Blazar casts, I hope the best fortune for them in this series and their future ventures to come.

Mechatalk Final Gear: Ariel - Albatross

 Very grateful that I am still given this opportunity to reach this far for Final Gear Mechatalk article. It is confirmed now that Final Gear Global will be closing its service on May 7th but It doesn't mean the Mechatalk series will end at this point and in fact will keep going on until the server close down. For the 34th Final Gear Mechatalk, I proudly present Ariel! One of the last 3 Units that got UR Upgrade before Final Gear no longer got updated and she has been one of my main target ever since I started Final Gear Mechatalk as there is no shortcut to upgrade this Homonculus Android waifu.

Eulogy for Akira Toriyama-sensei

 A really surprising turn of unfortunate events that happens so sudden. Normally Realm of Darkness won't have these kind of post but given the Individual's tremendous contribution in Japanese Pop Culture and Shonen genre, One ought to pay the due respect for the Living Legend. This morning on 8th March, Akira Toriyama-sensei's studio had officially announce the passing of the legendary Mangaka on 1st March due to illness. This is truly a big loss for Japan Pop Culture industry especially the Shonen genre because one cannot overstate the contribution of Akira Toriyama-sensei toward the industry as a whole as he is essentially one of the Top Pillars that allowed Shonen genre to thrive until this day. His work of Dragon Ball series easily remain the most popular Shonen work in many countries up until now and easily some of the best Money maker for Bandai.

 While I am not exactly the biggest fan of Toriyama-Sensei's work as I gravitate toward mecha genre. I did grew up reading Dragon Ball and thankful for the fond memories. I found that the Capsule Mechanical designs that were featured extensively during the early parts of Dragon Ball are quite ahead of its time and I do still appreciate this particular aspect at very least. As a way to pay homage to Toriyama-sensei's passing I am considering to do another Dragon Ball manga marathon soon and put Dragon Quest series marathon on my bucket list.

 With Akira Toriyama-sensei's passing one would be reminded to be concerned with other fellow Popular Shonen Mangaka that still has their works unfinished in particular Hunter X Hunter and Detective Conan which does not exactly have the best health situation and One just hope that they will given the necessary time to finish their works. It is very depressing, but after Kentaro Miura and Akira Toriyama sensei passing this won't be the last of the sad news as some of the best Mangaka who have given some of the best entertainments for multiple generations whether Millenials like me or the older or younger generation. But best wishes for these great Mangakas for those who have still unfinished business to be given the necessary time and opportunity to complete their works.

Zao Workshop 1/100 Oracle

 China's Model Kit industry is definitely working hard over past couple years releasing Cool looking products in constant pace. Now there is another one that caught my attention yet again and this one is from Zao Workshop. Dubbed as 神谕 which is translated as Oracle in English, Zao Workshop makes a heavy duty mecha that fills in the gap of demand for 1/100 Scale Gaplant or Gaplant that Bandai never made. Coming in Diecast Internal Frame just like many of its peers, 1/100 Oracle will be sold for mere 199 RMB in Mainland China with release schedule as effective of April 2024.

While in terms of playability, Chinese Gundam Model kits still need to catch up with Bandai's Master Grade counterpart. In terms of sculpt, their Model Kit are nothing to scoff at getting bigger and more impressive as time goes. Zao Workshop's Oracle certainly make good use of exploiting the gaps from unfulfilled demand that Bandai unable to cater due to their limited resources and this mecha will easily capture the attention and wallet for Mecha Fans who liked Advance of Zeta Aesthetics, especially with Hrairoo variants considering this one come with Big Guns and able to turn into plane mode too. For its price points Oracle would be easily a steal as we can expect something almost as bulky as Sazabi sold for a fraction of its price. I had a copy of  1/100 Redeem Model kit which from last year was also made by Zao Workshop which is still sitting in the dust due to my real life commitments but lets see if I can find sometime this year to spare time working on the kit.

Earnestcore Craft Super Mecha Champions Mini-kit

 Before I got into Super Mecha Champions until recently, there was a particular merchandise from Earnestcore which probably served as my first exposure to this Netease Mecha Battle Royale series. Back in 2022, Earnestcore released Mini Plastic Model kit for 3 Super Mecha Champions mecha which are Arthur, Caramel and Hurricane. These Mini model kits are sold for 1100 Yen each back in July 2022 and also  

Standing 7cm tall, these Minikits came prepainted so the collector just easily Snap and Fit the kit for the finished product. These Mini Kits are probably one of the pet project by Earnestcore to test the waters whether SMC series are feasible for their future lineups, which probably fell through because Netease's Marketing is not exactly their strong suit. In any case these are some of the handful available Super Mecha Champions merchandise and we haven't come the best available one yet.

Angolmois - Genkou Kassenki

 Before Ghost of Tsushima was a thing, there was this particular manga called Angolmois that served as a media to narrate the chapter of Japan facing the Mongol Invasion. I have finished read the manga for quite sometime ago but the recent complete translation makes me decide to revisit this series again. While not a particularly long manga series, Angolmois gave a good glimpse on the brutality of Medieval era during the period of Mongolian Golden age where they constantly subjugate bordering nations to sustain their empire and this manga particularly cover at the reign of Kublai Khan.

Taking place at Muromachi Period where Hojo clan had reigned supreme on Kamakura Shogunate, Angolmois narrates the story of the desperate defense of Tsushima people against the Invasion of Mongolian coalition. Led by an Exiled Samurai who fell victim of Court Intrigue, Angolmois shows the Island defenders fought valiantly yet a futile effort as the Samurais were outmatched on the onset of the battle against the professional army of Mongol Empire. 

 Overall in its short run, Angolmois put the brutality of war into good display as the fate of the losing side in medieval war are made apparent being thoroughly violated and butchered. While Japan was not as affected from Mongol Horde atrocity, the brutality of war are unleashed in full force. One moment that leaves a lingering impression would be the moments of last stand where the Lord's Daughter personal guards are killed to the last man not to mention the fate of the Kunoichi Bodyguard. While I think Angolmois could have gone abit longer if Kadokawa didn't axe the series, this series storyline can be fully appreciated on the point where it stopped. Quite sure there was an anime for Angolmois too but the Manga is still the definitive version of the series. But definitely brace yourself when reading this series as almost everyone from the protagonist side are definitely not having a pleasant end.

Metal Robot Spirits Ka Signature Full Armor Hyaku Shiki Kai

 In Universal Century, Hyaku Shiki has been always one of my favorite Mobile Suit including its MSV variants. Not sure where it exactly begins, but it is most likely started from SRW MX as Char get to pilot Full Armor Hyaku Shiki Kai as his choice unit. Then out of the blue, Bandai decided to revisit FA Hyaku Shiki Kai in glorious Diecast Metal Robot spirits but as P-Bandai unfortunately, Dubbed as Metal Robot Spirits Ka Signature, this metallic gold baby will be released for August 2024 with 24200 Yen price tag,

What makes Hyaku Shiki stands out for me is not the Mobile Suit itself as this Gold mecha represents an important aspect for one of the most iconic character in Gundam series. Personally, Quattro Bajeena is still the best version of Char Aznable in my opinion as in this incarnation, Char still able to maintain his faith toward humanity and kept his ideals intact instead of falling in despair, a self reminder for any mecha fans worth their salt to aspire to be the best version of themselves.

 As somebody who is a big fan of Armor Purge gimmick, FA Hyaku Shiki Kai easily become one of my favorite mecha and had a place in my personal Top 10 too. In terms of aesthetics, FA Hyaku Shiki is a bridge that served to close the gap between Hyaku Shiki and Sazabi. I wouldn't be surprised that someday a mecha designer could make a FA Hyaku Shiki hybrid with Sazabi and even could create a design that might surpassed the latter in its own way for Char's alternate future version.

 As much as I hate that MRS FA Hyaku Shiki end up as P-Bandai item, given my personal attachment toward this guy and Bandai did quite well on nailing the gimmick, I will commit some effort somehow to obtain this guy just like what I did with Metal Build Sirbine.

Mechatalk Final Gear: Imperia - White Hat

 With the official announcement by the Dev on their official Weibo Page, Final Gear's fate might have been decided, but this will just strengthen my resolve to have Final Gear Mechatalk to continue until the curtain finally close down permanently. For the 33rd Final Gear we have another interesting waifu character to be featured: The Gangster leader of Black Jester syndicate which are feared throughout Kegha Empire herself, Imperia! Among all waifu characters in Final Gear, Imperia is probably the biggest one yet still very gorgeous to cater fans preference for Amazoness waifu and she is yet another one of those characters who could have more to offer if Final Gear haven't met its demise.