Pacific Rim thoughts

Firstly, Gipsy Danger may be the Posterboy but Striker Eureka took the crown as the best Jager in the movie! By the way if you haven't watched the movie better stop reading this post and do yourself a favor and go watch the movie. I am not the type who go to Cinema and watch movie but i gave Pacific Rim an exception since it is quite hyped on /m/. So basically the movie is about Giant Robots fighting Giant Monsters which is probably the first of its kind in Hollywood movie(correct me if i am wrong). Overall the movie experience is better than Transformers and as enjoyable as Real Steel though i don't really like over emphasis of America F*** YEAH(even though it is still understandable).

The Kaijus shown in the movie is really ferocious and the Jager fight them with lots emphasis of Grappling which  require some pilots with lots of Guts. Most of the Kaiju fight takes place on Water which i find rather suicidal, i would say the Jagers would have better survival if they fought on land but i suppose there is a reason for it. While i find the mecha control seems abit awkward, i find the Voice Command activation is quite cool. For this movie, i only really care about the Robot Fights which is well done but still not enough and as i said in the header, Striker Eureka really shines in the movie. Too bad Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon go down really pathetic even though they are supposedly pretty awesome and Coyote Tango doesn't do anything but do couple of poses. The movie had couple of homages which TTGL is the most noticable one and i nailed down that Giant Robo reference and i think there should be some other more. Most of the Real Robots like Gundam or VFs is probably in pieces if they try to Grapple the Kaijus which makes range their battle chance while I suppose Super Robots grappling with Kaiju would be a sight to see. While the continuity of the movie is still unknown at this point, but if i can choose prequel or sequel of the series to be made i would like to see a prequel. Pacific Rim is solid title and really entertaining if you are a mecha fanboy like me.

Wild Arms

Played the Alter Code F before but i actually finish the game with the Original Version which i downloaded on my Vita for free during promotion few months ago. Overall the game is fun despite the graphic feels really dated after i played ACF but the music is still one of the best in my JRPG journey. The story is your typical JRPG types along with the cliches but the main protagonist, Rudy is really good for a silent protagonist. So far i got couple things left to do in this game from clearing the Ancient arena as well as fighting Ragu O Ragla in the abyss. After this will be likely to get Wild Arms 2 on my Vita so i could finish more of these once great but forgotten RPG series. I still wonder if there will be any 6th Wild Arms considering Media Vision has been quiet lately.

Twillight Samurai

When i researched about Samurai stipend in Tokugawa era i stumbled upon this movie title randomly and give it a go. Twillight Samurai or Tasogare Seibei tells about the daily life of Samurai with 50 koku stipend named Seibei Iguchi. Despite having status as Samurai, Seibei is struggling to cover his daily expenses as he has to take care his 2 Daughters and his bedridden mother by himself and he is often mocked by his peers as he didn't take care his appearance really well. Despite his miserable appearance, Seibei in secret is an accomplished swordsman and really humble in his ability. At first i expect Jidaigeki usually have plenty of Sword actions but Tasogare Seibei proves it wrong. This movie focus on drama which depicts a daily life of a Low-class Samurai nearing the end of Tokugawa Era. Nevertheless the action scene got some nice choreography there. The story of Tasogare Seibei is rather straightforward and simple yet managed to deliver powerful message which makes it good watch for family. I am planning to watch another Jidaigeki movie, does anyone have good recommendation that have some solid actions?

Nobunaga no Chef

History and Cuisine is a strange mixture for a manga but Nobunaga no Chef proves it works out quite well. I have been reading the manga since its first translated chapter and i would say Nobunaga no Chef managed to distinguish itself among other cooking manga. The story about a Chef from present time who somehow find himself back in Warring states era in Japan. He lost his memories yet retains his cooking skill and somehow by strange events he find himself to serve one of the most prominent Daimyo at the time named Oda Nobunaga which History remembers him for his Glory and Ruthlessness. However being Nobunaga's Chef is not a simple task at the times the main character need to present food that possess more meaning than a simple food in which the chef sometimes find himself in Life death situation. The main charm of this manga is that each food that the main character presents hold rather deep meaning for the person he presents the food at least most of the time. While there are other good cooking title manga, Nobunaga no Chef is great read due to its unique characteristic. So far the manga is quite faithful with the History but it is uncertain if it is the same in the later story. Master Cooking Boy is another great manga comes in mind when it is about Cooking genre.

Persona 4 Golden

The definitive version Persona 4

Knight of Sidonia

Another promising mecha manga that i should have read earlier. I was interested with Knight of Sidonia series when i saw a Riobot version of one of series mecha which i got my first impression from its very long cannon that surpass even Buster Launcher of KoG. Knight of Sidonia is one of those main stereotypes of the mecha series where the plots focus around the main character who is a chosen one and pilot a robot with legendary background fighting against unknown Alien races called Gauna which is equivalent to Bydo or Vajras or ELS. While Knight of Sidonia is using the typical Stereotypes of Mecha series, I find  this manga is better than most of the past examples and have quite promising future. This manga is one of the works of Nihei Tsutomu who is most well known from his Cyberpunk manga BLAME! which is why it also got some Cyberpunk influence on the manga but not as intense as the former one. There is a good chance that Knight of Sidonia would be concluded in some way involving understanding stuff which could be better than the past examples of mecha series like 00 or AGE. Anyway it is still too early to make any conclusion and i will be looking forward to the anime adaptation.

God Eater 1/7 Kanon Daiba

I have been expecting another Figure from God Eater coming up after Alisa Amiella but certainly plum made rather interesting choice. I thought Sakuya or Soma would have a good chance to be the second figure but instead Kanon is the one who got it first. The figure is made by plum and will be released on July this year for roughly 8500 yen. In God Eater Burst, Kanon Daiba is one of the many NPC you can recruit to join your mission serving as Ranged Healer. Despite her cute appearance, she is really dangerous... especially for her allies which is openly stated in her character profile. The AI for her character is well known to shoot friendly fire on you and even blames that it is your fault for standing in her line of fire. While most of the time it is just plain annoying, waking up in front of Dyaus Pita or Susanno is probably the last thing you want from  from her friendly fire. Apparently Kanon will return to God Eater 2 and probably play bigger role compared to the prequel. I am still looking forward to God Eater 2 to reach US shore as soon as possible.

Hotel Dusk: Room 215

Revised May 2026

One of the Nintendo DS games I finally completed back in 2013 after leaving it unfinished for several years was Hotel Dusk: Room 215. Cing may not be a widely known company, but every game I’ve played from their library has been stellar when it comes to storytelling. Set in the early 1970s, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is a detective adventure with a strong noir atmosphere, where you play as a burned-out ex-police detective named Kyle Hyde who stumbles into a mysterious yet strangely fateful encounter.

In Hotel Dusk, Kyle Hyde now works as a sort of odd-job freelancer after leaving the police force. His journey leads him to an inn called Hotel Dusk, a place that hides far more secrets than it first appears. Throughout the game, you interact with the hotel’s guests, each of whom seems to have their own connection to the hotel and their own personal stories waiting to be uncovered. Piece by piece, these encounters gradually lead Kyle closer to the person he has been searching for ever since leaving his job as a detective, someone tied to unresolved business from his past.

If you enjoy text-heavy adventure games with a visual novel-style presentation, this is a game you absolutely should not miss. Hotel Dusk has a truly one-of-a-kind presentation, from its rotoscoped character art to the way the Nintendo DS is held like a book during gameplay. The atmosphere and writing give it a style that still feels unique even today and nothing really came close to this series after Cing’s departure.

While the gameplay can occasionally feel a little clunky or frustrating, the story of Hotel Dusk is on an entirely different level, something that remains surprisingly rare even among Japanese games. It’s honestly a shame that Cing went under so early, because they created games with genuinely interesting stories and unique experiences. After finishing Hotel Dusk, I later played Last Window: The Secret of Cape West, which continues and abruptly concludes Kyle Hyde Saga.

Gasaraki

Have been watching this series bit by bit as i procrastinate on my LoGH 2nd run. Out of mecha series that i have watched, Gasaraki is one of the series that got least amount mecha action but nevertheless it is still quite interesting watch. While the mecha action definitely not enough, Gasaraki is one of the top contenders for the most realistic depiction of Real Robots which is no surprise considering Ryosuke Takahashi and Yutaka Izubuchi is involved in the production of the series. Also unlike most Sunrise stuff that i watched, Gasaraki got quite solid Political stuffs which some of them are thought provoking but average anime watcher probably would find it boring. The series discuss the growing concern of immigrants influx in developed countries and impact of Global economy on countries though it is not too deep considering the sensitive political context.

The main weakness of the series is that it tries to mix Japanese mysticism stuff with Sci-fi which doesn't turns out well in this case. I also think the main characters need some more personality and there are still some room to improve the romance part as well. Again despite the lacking of mecha action, the series got enough time to showcase what the mecha in the series could perform as its strength and weaknesses are clearly shown. Compared to other Sunrise series, Gasaraki is pretty much the polar opposite of Code Geass. If you like Scifi series like Ghost in the Shell you may take a look on this series which you could find interesting. In summary Gasaraki had really great characterization of Real Robots but not enough fireworks and some mind provoking political stuff along with difficult to comprehend Japanese mysticism. I wished the Raiden armor got some better plastic model.

Blade of the Immortal

After few years of following this series and read its last translated chapter, i think i could talk a little bit about a manga called Mugen no Junin or Blade of Immortal. This series goes quite a long way from 1994 until last year which concludes one of the unique samurai themed battle manga. Taking place somewhere in the middle of Tokugawa era,the story is basically about a Samurai who somehow gained immortality served as a girl's bodyguard on her quest of revenge in order to become mortal again. While the main character is immortal it doesn't mean he is instantly invincible as he faced some of the toughest warrior at his time and almost faced death despite his immortallity. While it is not as famous as Vagabond, Blade of Immortal is a very well made manga. One of its strongest point is the mangaka's drawing of the human anatomy which rather good especially in portraying the gory parts (which could be on par with Berserk if it got monsters). And despite story is not the strongest aspect of the series, it got some good characters especially one of the main antagonist who is rather cool guy. Personally i find the ending is abit lackluster but wraps up most of the stuff rather well and rather bittersweet. So if you like Vagabond you might be interested with this title despite it is slightly darker compared to the former one.

SRW Masoukishin 3 Lord of Elemental: Pride of Justice

With the release of Revelation of Evil God which continue the Masoukishin storyline after 15 years gap, i have been expecting the 3rd title for the series will be coming up to continue the series and it appears my expectation come earlier! Around yesterday there has been news circulating about the sequel and there is already a PV for it. The 3rd series of Masoukishin will be titled as Pride of Justice is scheduled to be released on 22nd of August on PS3 and Vita which is quite fast definitely and an Original SRW for Vita at last!

The game will follow the same format of the previous Masoukishin which use full scale sprites instead of SD and I suspect there will be branching storypaths just like previous series.There is not much news revealed at this point but the stories continues about Masaki's story as part of Antilas team fighting the cult of Volkruss. Some new addition for the game that i see from the PV is that the new casts from Masoukishin 2 got some upgrade for their Masoukis and Fang, formerly Masaki's Rival got new cosmetic changes along with his Masouki upgrade which could imply he will play more significant role this time compared to the prequel. It also appears that the Shutedonia twins will be usable party as well. I am really anticipating whether the other Masoukishin will get their possesion form in this game which i would be bit sad if they don't.

I will definitely get the Vita version since i am rather fond of Masoukishin series since i played the 1st and 2nd series on PSP last year. If you preorder the game apparently you will get some promo code for the Anime version of Valsione which is a plus.

You can check my coverage of the previous games here:

Masoukishin 1

Masoukishin 2

You can also watch the PV here

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate thoughts

I admit that i have been quite inactive in blogging from last year but last month is the record for me for being least productive on my blog. I blame it to monster hunter 3U which i spend quite alot of time to play from March until now and within this time i have reached HR8 as well as clearing all village quests. I also managed to make Gold Moon set from Gold Rathian which is awesome though i can't get the skills that i had on the same set back in Freedom Unite. With this mileage, i believe i can reviewing about this game.

Firstly about the rants, while MH3U probably has the most refined gameplay but content-wise it is still loses with Unite which at least bother to add more maps for the game. Underwater battle is the new feature from Tri series which is quite hit or miss but for me it is a miss. While i don't really have problem killing monsters underwater, i am never able to bring myself to like fighting underwater mainly because i cant fight freely compared to fighting on land and arguably Ceadeus is one of the main reasons i hate fighting underwater(can kill it under 15 minutes though). Aside from lacking of maps and underwater battle, my greatest disappointment for the game would be the weapon trees. Despite getting the same treatment of MHFU, MH3U is rather lacking in weapon branches. For instance if you want certain elemental weapon like Fire or Thunder you only practically have 2 or fewer choices to make and it is guaranteed one of the weapon branches require you to farm Rubies or Mantles in order to upgrade it. For Lance i am rather unhappy that there is only one decent Ice elemental Lance which barely did the job while the other usable option requires Awaken&Sharpness+1 to be used and even Gunlance doesn't have any usable Ice Gunlance at all(Lagombi's is terrible).

Aside from the rants i suppose the games plays just fine and it is still the best MH that has been out so far(until Vita got one at least). The Grank is still challenging but more balanced at the same time since not many OHKOs compared to FU. Poison and Slime Weapons are quite powerful in this game so you might consider to use them. While MH3U is great game i don't really think MH really fits on 3DS in the end.

RIOBOT Blodia

After the sneak peek from the Wonderfest, finally Sentinel confirmed the released date of the Iconic Blodia from Cyberbots series. The Riobot Blodia is scheduled on July this year with rather steep price tag of almost 10000 yen. Looks like the Riot Version will be more costlier thant this and  certainly i will skip this onesince it is out of my budget but should be good get for the fans of the series. There are 2 versions of Blodia available, the original one and the 2P version which comes with different color scheme and switched weapon position of the hand. From the surface it appears that Blodia looks like Glorified version of Scopedog which Capcom pulled quite well since this guy quite rocks in the game it debuted. While i skipped this one, i think i will still get the Riobot Orgun when Sentinel released it. I also still wonder if Capcom will ever reboot the Cyberbots series again considering there are some good opportunites around this time.

Revoltech Monster Hunter Jinouga/Zinogre Blademaster

Yet another MH Revoltech comes in! considering the Rathalos Blademaster revoltech is quite well-received, Kaiyodo made another one. This time, it is Jinouga Blademaster armor which is made from the flagship monster of MH Portable 3rd, Jinouga or Zinogre based on 3U's translation. The Revoltech will be released around June this year for almost 4000 yen which is somewhat pricier compared to the Rathalos one. The Revoltech comes with Jin's Dual Sword and Long Sword which is just as much as Rathalos Blademaster. Jinouga which is likely the short form of Raijin Ouga(literally Lightning Wolf) is a brute wyvern that have a wolf like Appearance that appears in high end quests. Despite it is classified as a Brute Wyvern, Jinouga is packs quite a punch while being agile at the same time. Compared to other Wyverns, Jin had rather interesting rage mode where it charges itself to enter Rage mode instead of going through the normal means. As for its armor set which represent the characteristic of the wyvern, it grants unique skill called awakening which grants some special buffs as time passes. Doubt i will get this one either since the revoltech doesn't come with Lance and i think there is a good chance Lagiacrus Blademaster would be the next one.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate get!

Talk about impulse buy, but i decided to get a 3DS when Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate come out. At first i thought to skip this MH installment but since my friends are getting them, i changed my mind. So far i have spent 1 week playing this game but due to work, i barely have time to play the game compared to Portable 3rd. So far things are quite a breeze as i managed to go through 5th rank Village Quest with Jaggi Armor set and again i am using Lance. MH3 Ultimate by far is very solid like other MH titles though i find underwater battle is abit annoying due to camera control which make cutting some monster's tail rather difficult. The free roaming system is quite interesting as well as the farm which is entirely different compared to the PSP MHs. I find the control of the MH in 3ds is abit awkward because i am used to "Clawing" gamestyle but don't really have significant issues. While i still feel MH3 U is still more suitable on Vita i suppose the release of the game on 3DS offer the game better chances to attract wider audience despite there are too many noobs playing the game.