Historie

 
 One of the historical manga made by the Parasyte mangaka that I read since teenage years. Since I really doubt the manga can be finished anytime soon, I feel it's worth to discuss the series now given its merit. 

Historical fiction set in ancient west is a rare genre in Japanese manga due to the depth of research and historical literacy it demands. Yet Historie stands out as one of the finest specimen from this niche. The story follows the life of Eumenes, Alexander the Great's secretary and explore the dawn of Hellenic era golden age through his eyes, 

Metal Gear Solid Soul of Chogokin Metal Gear Rex

 
 Konami has been very active with their past popular IPs which probably had to do with the shift of their management and MGS being the golden child of Konami is no exception. Apart from MGS3 remakes, MGS fans got another pleasant treatment by Konami in the form of Diecast Toy for Metal Gear Rex with the help of Tamashi Nation. Scheduled for February 2025, Chogokin Metal Gear Rex will be sold for 33000 Yen Price tag.

From the available product information, this Tamashii Nation version of Metal Gear Rex is essentially the diecast version of Kotobukiya Metal Gear Rex model kit. Three to four times the price of MGS Model Kit might justify if the product have quality diecast parts. But for those interested, Chogokin Metal Gear Rex is not actually the most expensive version of the iconic mecha from legendary series by Hideo Kojima. Around a decade ago, there was a Hongkong manufacturer called ThreeA that made a 500 USD version of Metal Gear Rex that stood 19 inches. This one probably still doesnt match up to that version but decent upper mid-end collectible. 

I am quite sure Metal Gear Ray will likely getting the same treatment if Konami's objective remain consistent considering they are still making money from the nostalgia with MGS1 remake is not far from impossible.

LOH Gagharv Mobile Hero Archive - El Phildin

 
 The fate of Gagharv Mobile has been set and in 2 weeks, the Global server will shut down. As such I feel this is the right time to start the project of archiving the Gacha game version of Falcom Classic JRPG. I will archive the heroes featured in this series sorted by the original Gagharv Trilogy series following the release order of the storyline in Gagharv Mobile, starting with El Phildin! the region belong to Tears of Vermilion. 

To this day, Tears of Vermilion is still my personal favorite despite Song of the Ocean plays more important role in the overarching storyline. TOV storyline might be old school by JRPG standard but there is always a charm in seeing the sheer will of humanity to defy against the fate ordained by ancient gods and an unbreakable bond of friendship that transcends the depths of hell.

In this hero archive post, I will sort the Hero rarity starting from the highest, starting from main character then move onto UR and until R rarity hero. Considering El Phildin is the first part that Fowgames worked on Gagharv Mobile, bulk of the Hero characters belong to this region. Despite the inevitable tragic fate, I salute Fowgames Dev team tremendous effort for Gagharv mobile even if it is not reciprocated properly in financial term. 

But at very least Fowgames efforts until the end of Global server resonated with me and as such I present this homage! Apologies in advance if I am rather subjective with the list since I will make the entry of the character based on their debut in chronological timeline.

Once Upon A Katamari

 
 It is almost 15 years since we get a new Katamari games where Bandai only bother to release port titles over past few years. For some reason, Bandai decided that they would be ending the drought for this family classic series by releasing a new title called Once upon Katamari! This is a big deal for Katamari fans like myself who got into the series through Me and My Katamari on PSP since the last original Katamari released, Touch my Katamari is a very lackluster game. Scheduled for October 2025 release, Once upon Katamari will be released on all modern console including Nintendo Switch which I will look forward to.

Katamari series has been always an awesome abstract adventure game where you control the Prince of Cosmos and roll a ball objects called Katamari and absorb anything along the way where the game usually climax with you rolling the world or universe. The premise may seem absurd at first, but Katamari series has always been a fun stress relieving game which you certainly need when you reach adulthood. 

After more than a decade long break, Once upon Katamari try to offer something different compared to its predecessor where it provides more variety of era settings that Prince of Cosmos could time travel to and roll his Katamari to oblivion! This might be a fresh of new air since the past Katamari series mostly focus on modern settings and never really explore pre-modern eras with some few outliers. The main source of Katamari fun is the opportunity to roll into hundreds of variety of objects and the new direction that Once upon Katamari is certainly something that can be looked forward to. 

I will definitely look for Physical copy on this one just like what I did with We Love Katamari. 

Sembo Blocks Wandering Earth - Barrage Phantom Review

 
 Finally got the opportunity to review Sembo Block Wandering Earth series starting with Barrage Phantom! On first look I got attracted into this particular series due to unique mecha designs and proceed to sample 3 specimens. However, upon finishing constructing these kits, I realize that there is a reason why these Wandering Earth brick model never truly achieve mainstream success. While the mecha design concepts are wonderful, the brick model medium has its limitation to make the design properly works.

Among Wandering Earth Brick Model I have obtained, Barrage Phantom is probably the weaker design in terms of aesthetics. To put it simply, it is a low efficiency frontline unit due to having low caliber Machine Gun as its main armaments with Missiles as supporting weapon. In theory it will have hard time to put a dent on any mecha unit on the same weight class as its armaments are meant to mow down the inferior units like infantry on one sided combat especially the thin arms are very vulnerable to be destroyed. 

At any rate, I will finish my Wandering Earth with three units only since Brick model are not exactly suitable format for this and will cover the rest of this review series eventually.

Uma Musume Pretty Derby 1/7 Admire Vega

 
 Since I have made my return to Uma Musume Global server, I will be discussing some more past Uma Musume merchandise that I overlooked. Uma Musume has been the recipient for plenty of quality PVC figure considering their franchise popularity. In this instance I would to introduce 1/7 Admire Vega by Phat. This one was released on June 2025 and sold for 26800 Yen SRP.

This version of 1/7 Admire Vega figure probably fell on more expensive category but the details done by Phat, especially on her constellation themed costume are well made. In Uma Musume, I do have some fascination toward Admire Vega despite she is not particularly good Uma Musume in competitive mode. 

Her character design apart from being a strong reminder of Amiya is appealing especially with extensive use of constellation iconography in her aesthetics. I didn't remember much back then but Admire Vega has some tragic background incorporated as part of her design as she is depicted to appear slightly gloomy due to constant reminder of losing her sister during childhood and her career puts the player as the role of her trainer to resolve her past and move on to better future. 

Amongst Uma Musume characters, she is another one that I look forward to the Figma rendition along with several Uma Musume. In the future I might even consider to make a Figma wishlist as well. 

Jingzuoshe x Caesar Works 1/100 Lycoris

 
 After releasing Mandala early this year, Jingzuoshe is back with another derivatives again! This one is called Lycoris and look even closer to Huckebein from SRW. Scheduled for October 2025 release, Jingzuoshe Lycoris will be sold for 159 RMB.

From the first glance, Lycoris is pretty much repaint version of Mandala with the color scheme coming in purple/dark which makes it closer to Huckebein. For 20 RMB price difference, Lycoris comes with extra accessories in the form of extra armaments which is what Huckebein got. For extra 20 RMB, you got yourself a Black Hole cannon and Chakram Caster. Given my backlog, I really doubt that I will obtain this one. But I might change my mind when I got to see how my copy of Mandala model kit turns out.

Basilisk - Kouga Ninpocho

 One of the classic manga that I read during high school and paid a revisit recently as I explored another works of the mangaka. Naruto might reign supreme as the most popular Shinobi manga, but if you want something more explicit and intense, Basilisk is what you are looking for. When Romeo and Juliet into ninja series, you got yourself Basilisk! Named after the mystical deadly creature that can kill any living creature, Basilisk is the tale of tragic star-crossed lovers who caught into the deadly feuds of their clan due to a whim of their lord.

Realm of Darkness 1.5 Million visit Milestone

 
 It was around July 2023 when Realm of Darkness finally made it to 1 Million visit since this blog's inception in mid 2010. Fast forward to the present, half of the effort that required 14 years is achieved within 2 years. Nothing much compared to what successful Influencers could do in mainstream platform, but it does mean something for a blog that served as archive of my personal journey since my college years.

Firstly, I am very thankful for the support of the loyal visitors of this blog. I might have been amped up the productivity of this blog over past 2 years due to the opportunity available in my current role and I will keep striving to deliver more well written contents that align with what always have been featured in this blog.

I might consider to do some giveaway but due to Blogger platform limit, it is not exactly viable. Anyway in near future, I might renew the Banner of this blog while retaining the same spirit that the Blog has been always been. Considering Realm of Darkness do deserve some makeover with its milestones that it has achieved up until now.

As part of celebration, if anyone interested to come up with request, please do comment in this post and I might likely consider it if it aligns with Realm of Darkness portfolio.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners Threezero 1/6 David Martinez

 
 Cyberpunk Edgerunners has been getting some attention now with the sequel animation being planned. Apart from Lucy, the main character, David Martinex got himself some 1/6 Action figure by Threezero! Scheduled for December 2025 release, Threezero 1/6 David Martinez will be sold for 28500 Yen SRP.

Among the available physical renditions of David Martinez, Threezero 1/6 stands out for several reasons. Apart from being 30% cheaper compared to typical 1/6 Hot Toys, the fabric detail for David Martinez' clothing looks quite good. Obviously this version of David Martinez does not showcase his Sandevistan hijinks since it is the early version of David as Edgerunners before leading his own crew. I apparently missed Threezero Lucy which was announced in June this year, probably due to the face sculpt is not exactly the best. But at very least, Threezero's David sculpt got some improvement. Looking forward to see if later version of David will ever get any physical rendition in the future.

Uma Musume Pretty Derby 1/7 King Halo

 
 Another of the Uma Musume merchandise that I decide to revisit as I made my return to the series. So sometime around early this year, Kotobukiya opened a preorder for King Halo PVC figure for Uma Musume series in 1/7 scale. This one features King Halo in her race uniform in confident victory pose. Scheduled for August 2025 release, 1/7 King Halo will be sold for 20000 Yen SRP.

When I played Uma Musume JP, King Halo was one of my favorite character. Not exactly easy to train Uma Musume due to her lengthy requirement but she is a well-made Ojou sama waifu. King Halo is part of the Golden Generation Uma Musume along with Special Week, El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder and Seiun Sky and she specialize in Sprint race course. King Halo requires better resources especially inheritance to get somewhere with her but she will prove her worth for the Trainer who could give the proper resources that she needs.

All I can say Kotobukiya nailed her design spot on and among her Golden Generation peers, King Halo is my top favorite along with Grass Wonder. What she lacks in racing prowess is made up by her classy act. Would lurk around for her Kotobukiya figure rerun considering this one of their better specimen for Uma Musume PVC figure but personally I would definitely get her Figma in a heartbeat. 

Moshow x Sembo Super Mobility - Progenitor Effect Vol 1 Review

 
With the rise of Blokees Blindbox in mass consumer market, Sembo, one of the big players in Chinese Brick model market doesn't want to get left behind and enter the Blindbox action figure themselves. For their first venture, they collaborate with Moshow and borrowed the mecha designs from Progenitor effect. This result in a new Blindbox lineup called 超可动 or Super Mobility which have the likes of Lancelot and Takeda Shingen released as affordable Blindbox action figure.

For the first Super Mobility lineup we got ourselves 4 Progenitor effect Mecha along with 2 alternate variants for Date Masamune and Takeda Shingen. In this review I will just provide the overall gist of the expected content obtained out of the whole box set and might follow up in the future if I am interested to continue. Overall Sembo's Super Mobility Blindbox could rival Blokees Galaxy in terms of sculpt, but playability is still somewhat a subject of argument. The only apparent downsides of the toys are that the chemicals sprayed on the plastic parts of the product are quite irritant which makes it not particularly suitable for Children. The QC is also quite an issue since my copy of Marquis Wucheng missed the head part which will be very apparent when you look from behind.

I would say Sembo's Super Mobility are quite decent that warrant continuation with other mecha series and I still look forward to series like Metal Cardbot available for mass consumer market.

Vs Battler

  Going for nostalgic route this time and use this post to keep myself remember with one of the Mecha game that I used to play in Gameboy Color as a kid. Mecha game are not exactly common in Gameboy let alone the an action game with Wizardry style 1st person perspective, enter Vs Battler!

In Vs battler you play as Mecha Pilot on two available factions Valiant and Sirius which have different mecha style akin to Zgok and Rick Dias. The game is purely action where you control a Mecha on seek and destroy missions in Labyrinth that differs in map variation as the game progresses. The gameplay is relatively simple as you only have Fist melee and Charged Projectile as available armaments to take down the enemy robots. Map Awareness play key role in Vs Battler as you will have to rely on flank ambush to clear the stages as you are usually outnumbered and direct slugfest never end well as you will lose health very fast in this action. Given I have no idea what I am doing back then, I often end up accidentally destroying my AI teammate from friendly fire.

What makes Vs Battler still remain in my memory is due to the unique gameplay which could have been incorporated more in modern mecha game. Imagine a co-op Mecha game where you navigate dark labyrinth where proper teamwork and maneuvering really matters, the incorporation of Survival theme into action would be quite something to behold.  

Realm of Darkness - Super Mecha Champions Ultimate Archive

 
 Should have done this when I finished my last SMC Mechatalk series but I proudly present this post as dedicated portal for Super Mecha Champions! Netease treatment to SMC is abhorrent to the extent they change their name on some game they publish likely to hide in shame. Even so Super Mecha Champion is still a good game that deserved respectful treatment.

 This post will serve as the portal for SMC Mechatalk and SMC related Sluban Brick model reviews for easier access of readers who wish to navigate SMC related content in Realm of Darkness. This might be the last post for SMC at least until there are noteworthy development related to this series.

Mecharashi Global Server

 It is already about a month since Mecharashi made it to Global server. I never expected what started from a game project abandoned by Square Enix able to survive for two years in China long enough to transition into global stage. As somebody who constantly look for a mecha game to fill in the void of Final Gear and Super Mecha Champion, I find Mecharashi global server announcement to be compelling and pre-registered in no time.

After playing for several weeks in Global server, my initial impression with Mecharashi is overall quite a positive one. In terms of baseline  design,  Mecharashi  is rather similar to Girls Frontline 2 whether gameplay or gacha but with mecha flavor. Overall Mecharashi is a solid mecha game albeit still thoroughly have Chinese gacha game design at its core.