Merry Christmas Miracle's Bell edition

 Merry Christmas for 2015! Hope you have a pleasant day with your family this day and may next year will be even better year for everyone! For this year's Christmas i would like to share a song to fellow readers, a song from Sakura Taisen series that suits the mood for this special day; Kiseki no Kane or known as Miracle's Bell in English.

 The song first appear in Sakura Taisen 2 during the Christmas event in the game where Ogami can take one of the Kagekidan member for a Christmas date. Personally i think this is one of the more memorable song from Sakura Taisen series and perhaps this song starts that certain Christmas fad in anime. While I doubt Kiseki no Kane originally has such intention i just find the Japanese take on Christmas after the song onward is rather disrespectful toward the Spirit of Christmas. Christmas is supposed the day where you spend some quality time with your family and not your loved one not the day where couples spend night together on Christmas indulging in Carnal Pleasure like it was shown in anime like Amagami or School Days. I guess these kind of trends are inevitable with the nature of capitalism but the problem is if things like Christmas constantly get this kind of treatment, its original meaningful value will eventually fade away. I am not Christian but i do find this day is meant for spiritual cultivation and not for over-indulging in worldly pleasures which i hope people going to keep reflect on.

Dorei to no Seikatsu - Teaching Feeling

 Usually i don't discuss about Nukige for this blog in general but here it goes. Saw this game when lurking 4chan as usual and checked it got rather some kind of cult following in Japan becoming best-selling game on DLsite in short time. Dorei to no Seikatsu or Life with a Slave is a short text-based interactive game where your protagonist is a Doctor who just got a girl slave called Sylvie with burn scars all over her body as a token of gratitude from his patient. It is up to you whether you let Sylvie continue her wretched slave life or let her regain her humanity.

 The game is your typical simplistic text based Ecchi Simulator but it does got some interesting gimmicks if unpolished. The first instance i saw Sylvie, she instantly remind me of Hanako from Katawa Shoujo and her design is just perfect for hugable waifu material. i suppose the Crippled+Slave girl did make a winning combination in Japan whether it makes more adorable characters in some way or to fulfill weird fetishes for some people. If the artist is smart enough, he should use this momentary fame to rake more cash by making some sort expansion or ultimate version of the game in the form of more contents especially the interactions and the flavor text. I won't say this game is a Diamond in the rough or something but it does have a chance to become something more than a Nukige. I wonder if this will influence Japan's moe trend though i doubt it will be.Even if it is White Knight syndrome, it does feel nice doing good deeds in a game to help emotionally scarred character such as Sylvie by patting her head everyday and make her fall for you.

Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha

 Saw this on /a/ and marathoned the manga straightaway. Quite decently written romance manga i recently read which is quite rare even for Shoujo genre nowadays. Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha is the story about the friendship of a girl and a fox deity and after some random events, The deity lends the girl a fraction of her divine power. The divine power lent by the Fox Goddess allows the girl to transform to anyone which she used to try get herself closer with a boy she had a crush with. I find the main heroine which is the girl to be unbearable but it is as expected for a mid school teen doing stupid stuffs in shoujo manga for the sake of drama.

However the actual story of the manga is the love story between the Fox Goddess and the girl's Older brother. I just find the older brother and deity's love relationship too adorable and never had one so satisfying since Genbu Kaiden. I thought it would have been better if there were more obstacles for their romance since "The greater the obstacle, the greater the love will be" due to the nature of god and mortal relationship but considering the manga's setting took in modern one i guess it can't be helped. My gripe with the manga is how sometimes they handle the god-human relationship since i thought they respectful treatment. But in the end, overall the manga did the pacing really well and concludes thing satisfyingly though i don't mind a spin-off for the aftermath if the mangaka decides to make one. Doubt that i will give the anime a watch either since it was rather incomplete

SD Gundam G Generation Genesis

 After 3 years of long wait finally we get a new G-Generation gundam game! more importantly for the newer generation platform too which have been long anticipated! Nothing much have been revealed so far since the Youtube trailer is basically nothing but so far from what i know the game will be released around middle of next year and the rosters will be likely Universal Century era only covering up to Gundam Unicorn. So just like G Generation Spirits in PS2 i guess the game will serve as a change of pace since the last 3 G-Gen games which covered AU timeline.

I really don't mind the game will focus on UC timeline since it allows the game focus on MSV series that previously didn't get much attention. However i will tolerate the game only if they don't put the same campaign map all over again which they loved to do for 0079 and Zeta. I also prefer if they don't put too much spotlight on Gundam Unicorn because personally i find the series to be unbearable with its autistic characters. But seeing the trend of Bandai in the recent years, there's a good chance they will do these things and if it turns out to be true while they slack on content, probably i will stick with G-Generation Overworld or the upcoming Extreme VS. I also hope one of these days Bandai could make a new version of Gihren's Greed eventually since the series deserve one too.

Madan no Ou to Vanadis

 Another LN series worth mentioning! Madan no Ou to Vanadis or Magic Bullet King and Battle Princess is another Fantasy series that i have been looking at recently. Up until the current LN translation, i find the series got some potential even though mediocre for now but still definitely much better than the recent fads of Wish Fulfillment or Uber Reincarnations which plagued Japanese fantasy genre with disgusting self pandering works. The Premise of Madan no Ou is a Feudal story telling the fate of a Noble Son intertwined with Seven Girls wielding Great power called Vanadis after a fateful encounter with one of them. Skilled with Archery, the Noble Son wielding mysterious family heirloom bow took a Fire Emblem-esque conquest impressing the Vanadis one by one with his strength and wits and basically gathering a harem for himself.

The reason i believe the series got potential has to do with the lore, depending on how the Author handle the Fluff and unveiling the secrets, Madan no Ou can be a mediocre fantasy manga or a great one. The manga adaptation of the series are quite good so far managing to balance the storytelling and fanservice which i hope will keep go on. The protagonist is not that beta which is rather common for this genre and that's good. But for some reason the main character really remind me with the one of those typical lords from Fire Emblem series since he got quite similar characteristics with them save for wielding Bow as his main. My favorite chapter from the series so far is the amnesia arc since seeing an Ice Queen melts does make a good sight which i hope will get decent treatment with the manga. So if you like harem fantasy title you can give Madan no Ou a read and the LN translation are available over BakaTsuki.

1/8 Al-Azif (Max Factory)

 I have been re-reading Demonbane like last month to remind myself the series awesomeness as a mecha series and at the same time a terrible Lovecraft adaptation. Thus i have been searching Al-Azif figurines to add into my collection and out of several renditions i find Max Factory's to be the best one. The figure was released on 2006 which aged already for today's figurine standard however Max Factory's rendition captures Al-Azif's proportion the best in her gothic lolita form which is why i am putting my attention on this one. Al-Azif or Necronomicon is the main heroine of the Demonbane series, she claims herself to be the strongest Grimoire who looks for a master to fight against Black Lodge until she find Daijuuji Kurou to be her last master and lover. Al-Azif is one of the most memorable Nitroplus heroine for me due to her strong personality and she just makes an awesome duo with Kurou. I still really hope Demonbane will show up to another SRW game since they deserve much more spotlight as an awesome super robot series.

Another Century Episode 2

 Another Century Episode series is always one of my favorite Mecha Simulator games, while not as hardcore as AC series, this is the only game that provide solid crossover mecha action experience. I used to play this game as a teen back in high school but never managed to finish the game unlike ACE 3. Out of 5 entries to the series, most of the fans who had gone through most of the games will agree that the only solid games of the series were 2 and 3. While the first one was riddled with issues as From tried to figure out what works and what doesn't, on ACE 2 they begin to find the working formula to the series. I will try my best trying to give the necessary coverage of the game in this post.

Saint Blaster Get!

Finally i got one of my long sought B-Daman Toys which i used to have years ago but lost them due to stupidity as a kid. At first tempted to get the set for 350 RMB, but in the end got the whole set for 200 RMB on Taobao which is quite reasonable and the kit's condition are not to shabby either. I could have got the Blue and Yellow Bomber's unit easily but it was the White one that's really hard to find and if it is not a complete set, there's not much meaning collecting them. The reason i bothered to collect this vintage stuff is because the kit represented well some of my favorite gimmicks in mecha; Gattai and Openable Cockpit. Since i got the Saint the Blaster, i just need to get the Black Dragon to complete my Saint Dragon set which is no easy task since the cheapest one i saw in Taobao was around 600 but eventually i think i should be able to find one for reasonable price.

Meanwhile i also manage to get the Mystical 4 Symbols version of B-Daman toys similar to Saint Dragon set for 100 RMB but the kit's condition is worse but still workable. Though from my impression it really looks like a villain's mecha and it got Gattai gimmick too! If you are interested to look for B-Daman toys in Taobao try search 弹珠警察 on the website.

Jurassic World

 Just watched the movie and considered i followed the series from the shooting game, thought about sharing some of my opinion about the movie. Frankly speaking Jurassic World got so much potentials with the ideas but in the end got them wasted. I believe Jurassic World got message to tell as well however unlike the first movie, it never goes past half way in this aspect which is why it failed to leave a legacy like the first movie and just become another movie of the year. From what i comprehend about the movie's idea, Jurassic World is about human's greed causing them disregard the nature and at the same time trying to play God to gain further profit which leads to retribution they receive as the consequence of their folly to.

 Indominus Rex supposed to represent this message in the movie but i guess it doesn't do enough carnage to show it, they should have allowed her to eat some of the visitors instead of Pteranadon pecking around and drop some to the pool for Crocodile food. In short Indominus didn't show absolute terror to show "how insignificant human is in this world" just like the CEO guy said in the movie who's probably the best character in Jurassic World. The movie got some decent buildup on the first half of the movie but through the second half, everything just go flat. Apart some of the characters most of the cast in the movie are quite forgettable, even the brats aren't annoying enough. I don't know whether it is the curse of the series but none of the sequels have managed to surpass the first movie at all. Jurassic World tried to surpass the high bar that Jurassic park had set for decades already but failed to accomplish it in the end even with much more sophisticated special effects because it goes half-hearted to deliver the message. I still hope the next movie could do better.

My Top 5 Capcom Beat'em Ups

 For some reason i just feel like to write down the topic about this, Capcom in early 90s made lots of quality Arcade Games but i remembered them most for their Beat'em ups. They made lots of Quality titles on this genre which establish themselves as one of the dominant Game Devs at that time. This is my top 5 favorite beat'em ups out of dozens of choice based on my personal choice which is definitely subjective so you does not need to agree with my list.

Ad Astra

 Another Promising historical manga here covering one of the most famous war in the Ancient Period, Second Punic War. That war is never complete without Scipio and Hannibal and the manga so far did a good job of portraying them though so far they are quite a bishies. I think what makes this manga appeals for me is that the liberty that the author to fill the dots of the 2nd Punic war yet still able to make it believable. The author also did a respectable job of portraying that there is more factors than the battle itself that affects the outcome of the war for instance the Romans lost badly in the beginning as their leaders were motivated out of self interest and Hannibal did a good job of making use of it. So far the manga had cover up to the famous battle of Cannae which was Hannibal's greatest legacy and the translators should be able to catch up eventually. I am curious how the Author will be able to handle the story after the highest point of the 2nd Punic War which should put his skill into a test. Personally i think why Carthage lost in the end even though they got Hannibal is because they were not as unified as Romans who were bunch of loose ends at first but unified due to Hannibal ironically. Personally i think Ad Astra should be on par with Historie and definitely make a good read for those History buff out there

Farewell Cthuko...

A short post dedicated in Condolences for Miyu Matsuki who recently just passed away after long-fought battle with Pneumonia. You shall be missed by you fans and for me your role as Cthuko was great one. Even though i never like Nyaruko as a series, you make the series Hilarious with your attempts to make Nyaruko and Shonen your lover. Good Night Sweet Princess.

Hanachirasu

 I think this is one of the most random VN i have read so far and probably my least favorite out of Nitroplus VN so far. Just like Kikokugai, Hanachirasu is VN with plenty of violent actions revolving around Japanese swordplay. However in the end the VN didn't make any lasting impact for some reason as everything falls flat in the end. I still don't really get what kind of message that Hanachirasu tried to convey or perhaps there was none in the first place but it does have some shock value. In some way Hanachirasu is kinda like reverse Kikokugai just that it is bit more nihilistic.

Max Factory 1/7 Kotona Elegance

 While Zoids Genesis is rather disappointing at very least it got pretty good eye candies like Kotona and Reimi. Out of the two characters Kotona obvious got more figure treatment due to her voluptuous body and Max Factory created one of the best rendition for her on 1/7 scale. The figure posing on the chair is probably based on the illustration given by the famous artist Tony Taka on his doujin. In Zoids Genesis, Kotona Elegance is a zoids pilot from mysterious tribe that protects a great secret. She is very skilled in Assassination and carries lots of hidden weapons so she is kinda like Femme Fatale version of Fiona from Chaotic century. Kotona pilots bird type zoid called Rainbow Jerk which is specialised in Recon and aerial combat thus not as powerful as Ryuji's  Murasame Liger. Probably Kotona harbors some feeling to Ryuji which make her shota but probably she will let Reimi take Ryuji due to their sisterly relationship. Kotona is one of the more attractive female design out there though it was kinda a waste that she was used on kids series like Genesis.

Saya no Uta

"Fuminori.. to you, who loved me... i give.. this planet"- Saya

 I think this is my third time reading this Stellar Nitroplus works and still gives me the same chill just like the first time i read this VN which was before this blog was up. I should have covered about this VN years ago but will do it this time given the opportunity. Saya no Uta is a very short VN but the it is undisputedly masterpiece with its twisted yet beautiful story . The story borrow on Lovecraftian theme to take on love story of a man who finds himself in love a mysterious girl called Saya after having his perception distorted into hellish vision and Saya was the only normal looking person to him. The story pretty much focus on the relationship between Saya and Fuminori as they only find solace with each other being the outsider of the world and their journey to find some semblance of peace. The love that Saya and Fuminori shared may look twisted yet it is pure at its core which is why the VN is quite popular in Japan.

 As i become more familiar with Lovecraftian Horror being exposed to some of his works and some RPGs and Boardgames, i grew to appreciate Saya no Uta even more than in the past. You don't need to borrow the name of Cthulhu or other Eldritch gods to make a good Lovecraftian Horror and Saya no Uta is a testament to that. The VN portrayed the core value of HP Lovecraft works; "the sense of Human's powerlessness against Enigmatic Cosmic Entities" and "the truth that leads to Insanity" perfectly and even make it blended really well with beautiful love story which is rather rare feat for Japanese Work. Saya no Uta is easily one of Nitroplus Best work and you will miss a great deal of good stuff not reading this VN. I think Saya no Uta story would make decent Custom Call of Cthulhu campaign or Unique Rumor for Eldritch Horror since it adapts Lovecraftian element well. Also if you want a good Lovecraftian Japanese work go for Saya no Uta and not Demonbane or Nyaruko. I wished Saya had a Nendoroid since she is one of the Nitroplus chara that deserve one the most.