Legend of Galactic Heroes 2nd run finished!

The Legend ends and history begins. 

I think it has been 3 or 4 years since i finished my first run of LoGH, could have done it faster but at least i really enjoy this series more than ever. From my second run i come to appreciate the 4th season more but the pinnacle of the series are still the 2nd and 3rd season without doubt.  It will take a while for me to finish the character quotes from the series but i will try my best not to procrastinate myself and i am planning the making the quotes segment divided into 2 parts, From this 3 years of time since i watched LoGH for the first time, no anime have been ever to reach the depth of the series when it comes to politics and philosophy which even make anime from nowadays a shameful display. Unfortunately the youtube videos of the series which the most accessible ones has been purged due to some stupid policies but if you really want to watch the series grab the torrent and Bluray treatment is the best.

Muvluv Alternative Chronicles 3

Since Muvluv Alternative Chronicles 4 is coming up i think i should write a coverage about Muvluv Alternatives Chronicles 3 but more like the TDA segment since i haven't read the 2nd story of Alt Chronicles 3. I will also cover some part of the story in TDA 01 from Alt Chronicles 2 since i haven't covered them in my previous posts and it doesn't make any sense if i jumped straight through TDA 02. Overall TDA 02 is really weak story and the action sequence is subpar compared to Alternative but hopefully Alt Chronicles 4 would be less disappointing.

Please consider that this post will contain some spoiler and tread with your own discretion.

Kara no Shoujo

Another skeleton in my VN closet cleared(no pun intended)! I have finished all possible route in the VN and this is one of the few VN that i bothered to look at the bad ends. Took me a day to complete the series and i guess Kara no Shoujo is one of the more depressing VN title i have touched so far. My first impression from the series is that it is very gory as i saw the CGs but it is not as bad as it looks in the end. The story takes place in Post War Japan in 50s where the main character is Tokisaki Reiji a former police turned detective where in the VN he is investigating bizarre murder case which involve young female being mutilated that reminds him of incident that costs his lover's death. The plot of the story revolves around a painting of a woman(more like dutchwife) in a large egg shell which her appearance greatly resembles with the main heroine.

Kara no Shoujo is considered to be mystery VN and it has some investigating feature like Phoenix Wright or Hotel Dusk but don't expect it is not complex as these titles. Music and CG drawing is very solid though i find the music is rather lighthearted despite the story can be considered to rather grimdark. As for the story of the VN itself, the mystery aspect is great and expect some good plot twists along with lots of tragic moments. The villains in the VN is some guy that remind me of Hannibal lecter and a sissy boy with oedipus complex but yeah KnS shows how twisted a human can be to reach a perfection for art. As for romance, it is not the focus of Kara no Shoujo and i would suggest not to get really attached with the heroines(still surprised no imouto route). Overall Kara no Shoujo is decent mystery VN but better turn away if you are expecting some happy endings from the series. For me the gore of the VN is actually not too bad since there are worse stuffs compared to Kara no Shoujo but i find the story is really tragic especially the saddest part is how the tragedy repeats itself, what is it? go read the VN. I heard Kara no Shoujo 2 is coming to the west soon probably around next year and i definitely will support the VN although i heard it will be a kick to the shin/salt to the wound/arrow to the knee wtv.

SRW OG Infinite Battle

I have been hoping a Gundam vs Gundam game with OG cast for years already and appears my dreams come sooner than expected! On November 28th this year, a new SRW game called SRW OG: Infinite Battles will be released for PS3. From the trailer that has been shown, there are 8 characters shown already and supposedly there will be 40 Playable units so most likely we will get to see all the units shown in the Ads cover. From what i see in the trailer, the game looks less promising since the gameplay appear to be sluggish especially the melee part but hope the game will be better than that. Since i don't have PS3 i won't be able to get a copy of the game but if it is ever coming to Vita, i will give my best to support the SRW series. I wonder how they will balance Super Robot units with the Real Robot one considering the Super Robots are 50m on average and some of them are capable to chop anything in two and will be any special team attacks with special unit? If you are ever going to play the game which unit that you wish to show up and will be maining? I would main Wildwurger with no doubt!

The Story of Philosophy

Seems like a totally random post for a rarely updated mecha blog but i can assure that i don't post this on a whim. Reading almost 700 pages book is quite a chore compared to reading manga but i managed to do it and learned something from this book. Will Durant's Story of Philosophy is really good gateway to western philosophy as it introduces several people who changed the shaped Western world with their ideas and thoughts. I had to appreciate Will Durant for his effort to bother analyzing lots of the Western Philosopher idea and summarize all of them to be still palatable while not overriding the original content. From the book, i am made to be interested in Schopenhauer's and Nietzsche's ideas which i will try to get their works to read but i guess i am going to get Plato's Republic along the way. However i find the British Philosopher's thoughts like Herbert Spencer and Francis Bacon is rather hard to be digested in my thought and probably need to give them another go. If you want to get into the ideas of Western Philosophy and have no idea where to start, this book is a good choice to go. I wonder if there is similar book like this for Chinese Philosophy which are another interesting field which probably i need to learn Mandarin to savor their works. Lastly i think i will also have a look at the Story of Civilization which is the least thing i can do as a tribute for this Author.

Cytus Chapter 7&8

Just few days ago Cytus got 2 chapters update and since i have the Lambda version got the updates for free. From my first impression after giving most of the songs a run i would say Chapter 8 is more solid than Chapter 7 overall. There are another batch of vocaloids as well but still can't beat the one in Project diva. I am still quite surprised that i get to see yet another DJ Max composer M2U who was major contributor to the former series and i am quite happy even though he only have one song at the moment. Both Chapter cost $5 in Itunes and if you can only afford one at the moment , once again i will recommend to get the Chapter 8 which really solid overall.

Last Window: Secret of Cape West

Revised May 2026

Last Window: The Secret of Cape West is the sequel to Hotel Dusk: Room 215 that I covered earlier in 2013, serving as the second and ultimately final chapter of the Kyle Hyde saga. Unfortunately, it was also the last game developed by Cing before the company eventually shut down. Even so, Last Window remains a wonderful experience true to the series, especially for anyone already invested in Kyle Hyde’s story and seek for a sense of closure.

Much like Hotel Dusk, you once again step into the shoes of Kyle Hyde, an ex-cop turned traveling salesman and odd-job freelancer. Gameplay revolves around exploring environments, interacting with objects, speaking to residents, and uncovering clues that gradually push the story forward. This time, the setting shifts to Kyle’s apartment building, formerly a thriving hotel that still hides its own share of secrets. Just one week before the building is scheduled for demolition, Kyle receives a mysterious letter requesting his help in finding something known as the Scarlet Star, a clue that may finally uncover the truth behind his father’s death.

As always, the noir-inspired storytelling in Last Window is top-notch, and in some ways, I would even say it surpasses Hotel Dusk. Still, I personally have a soft spot for the first game that is hard to replace. As the concluding chapter of the Kyle Hyde saga, Last Window dives deeper into Kyle’s past while revealing connections that tie directly back to the events of Hotel Dusk. Story-wise, it truly feels like the swan song of Cing, as if the developers poured everything they had into creating a proper conclusion for the series, even if it ultimately ends on a somewhat imperfect note. One particularly memorable feature is how the entire storyline can later be read as a novel within the game itself, which gives the experience a uniquely reflective atmosphere.

As wishful as it may sound, part of me still hopes the Kyle Hyde saga could someday receive a proper continuation. The overarching story never truly felt complete, especially with Kyle never fully confronting the larger forces operating behind the scenes. It does not necessarily have to be developed by Cing; I would honestly welcome another studio continuing the series if it could preserve the same tone and spirit. Last Window certainly works as a form of closure, but I still wish Cing had the opportunity to continue their craft back then.

Personally, I would not have bothered rewriting a 13-year-old blog post about a Nintendo DS game if this series did not mean so much to me. The Kyle Hyde saga remains one of the most unique adventure game experiences I have ever played, and even now, very few games have managed to replicate its atmosphere and storytelling style. At this point, I would honestly even settle for a novel adaptation if the series can no longer continue as a video game.

Wonderfest 2014

This year's wonderfest is not as interesting as previous years for me but at least i can always expect something from Kotobukiya. Other booths in the this year's wonderfest doesn't really pick my interest and i was hoping some MH or Dougram stuffs. From this years Wonderfest, Koto shown the non scale version of F-22 Raptor TSF which going to be the Infinities color scheme it seems. The kit will be released sometime next year but i expect it is going to be released around the same period like the EF-2000 Typhoon this year.

Also D-Style lineup got some solid addition as Kotobukiya added Votoms series to their lineup and we got the Scopedog, depending on the kit's popularity  i think we may get the fully armed version as well. SRW has been really slow this year but it seems there will be some model kit for Awakened version of Cybuster which first show up in Masoukishin 2 and  i will be looking forward to it. With this i think the other Masoukishin will have better chance to get their kits someday and i will wish Granveil will come first if it happens.  Like usual i will update this post if i find anything worth to add.

Cytus Lambda

Got this on Vita from PSMobile and it is quite promising Rhythm game which could be strong rival for DJ Max someday. Cytus has been around from last year starting on Iphone then to Android and finally landing on PS Mobile platform last month. The music in this game is either hit or miss but if you follow DJ Max series or like trance music in general you may like Cytus. The game is free to download but you can only play 10 at first and need to pay $13 for the rest of the songs. Gameplay is abit similar to DJ max technika but probably Cytus is played the opposite way of Technika and abit easier to get into. While it is not as hard as DJ Max, Cytus song with Level 6 onwards provide some decent challenges and currently i can't even beat the Level 9 one.

So far there 62 songs in Vita version of Cytus in which 10 of them are exclusive for Vita so far. Overall Quality of the songs are mixed some are really good but majority are rather mediocre but i am quite surprised that there are few Miku songs in this game. My main gripe over the songs is that the good parts in the song feels really short which i wished there is a really long version of it. My main reason to buy Cytus because i followed Tsukasa since DJ Max and his works happened to be featured in this game. However during my stay in the game i am quite fond of Persona's and Rabpit works which are pretty good. Finally compared to DJ Max, Cytus still falls short in terms of gameplay since it is still new but at least, i find the Song Charts is still better than Technika Tune which is the DJ Max game on Vita since that game had too much KPop rather than Trance. Supposedly the game will be kept updated as long as it is doing well and i hope next time The game will have Gallery mode.

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.