Front Mission - Dog Life & Dog Style

 One of the manga adaptation of Front Mission series and like the series, it has everything that makes Front Mission such a charming mecha series. Dog life & Dog style roughly covers the First Huffman war which was the first major conflict between OCU and USN in Front Mission mainly through the perspective of a freelance war journalist. In the manga you will see how people from walked from different paths of life affected by war for better or worse and the manga shows plenty of gory bits just to show how horrific war could be. My favorite chapter in the manga is Fruit of Eden which the OCU officer is just a badass guy for the feats he pulled off to survive the odds. Dog Life & Dog Style had finished its original run back in Japan but unfortunately the manga translation had been inactive for years as it stopped at the "Sheep Herder" arc which happen to be the  last arc of the series and the longest one as well. While the artstyle might put off some people, if you like gritty mecha series or Front Mission fanboy, Dog Life & Dog Style is certainly not to be missed!

Gundam Battle Assault 2

-Wealth and Glory to the Winner!

 When i was a kid, i played this game alot with my friend and certainly it was one of my early gateway to the series. Gundam Battle Assault 2 is probably the best Gundam game that was ever released in the west for PSX and still one of the top Gundam Games that got western release. At its release time Gundam Battle Assault 2 surprises lots of people with its solid gameplay, making it a well-remembered classic. While i am not good with fighting game, i really had fun with GBA2 and every now and then still play this awesome gem.

Sakura Taisen 3 Hanabi Ending Get!

Sakura Taisen 3 Hanabi Ending

 Aimed for Lobelia's route at first but got Hanabi's ending due to some stupid mistakes. With this i finished my first playthrough of Sakura Taisen 3. I have to say Sakura Taisen 3 is probably the best overall entry of the series because its production value totally blew out the previous 2 games by far margin. Sakura Taisen series strongest points are always about the heroines and the songs and Sakura Taisen 3 will makes you surprised if you think the previous games are awesome already.

 So back to Hanabi, Hanabi Kitaouji is the last member recruited by Ogami for Paris Kagekidan and in the battle she is proficient with bow. In the Sakura Taisen 3 Hanabi's character portrayed as a very gentle girl yet behind her gentle demeanor lies great sorrow from the grief of losing her first lover in a tragic accident. During her chapter one of the Beastmen exploited Hanabi's the weakness of her heart to satisfy his twisted desire and Ogami with his smooth-talking and some help from Paris Kagekidan able to save Hanabi. In the series Hanabi is the third Yamato Nadeshiko after Sakura and Sumire and her personality is the most gentle one out of three. Being a Japanese raised overseas, she yearns to be Yamato Nadeshiko and looks after Sakura and Sumire and from time to time consult with Ogami as well. If you pick Hanabi as Ogami's partner, her route is all about Ogami helping Hanabi to regain her former self after going through so much sorrow by acting as emotional support to lean on. Kinda feel bad if Ogami had to pick other girl from Paris Kagekidan and unable to support Hanabi with her fragile heart.

 While Hanabi is not my most favorite character, her character theme "Kokoro no Kasa wa" or Umbrella of Heart is probably the best character song in Sakura Taisen 3 in my opinion for portraying great amount of emotion while at the same time not being overly too dramatic. After Hanabi's ending i will definitely try to get Lobelia's ending next and then Glycine's. At some point i will write Full Article for Sakura Taisen 3 since i got enough material for it. I won't be touching Sakura Taisen 4 until i finished all of the characters ending in ST 1,2,3. You can look at the Hanabi's ending CG on the link below the picture and her ending is available too on Youtube. The video below is Hanabi's character song.

Yami's Top 5 Mecha Anime Male characters

 I think this is one of the few things that i could post earlier in this blog considering i watched enough anime to make the list. While i am able to mention more i guess five would make a solid list. Since this list is made by a mecha fan, the characters are all from mecha series. As a rule of thumb, in anime i really hate Betamax male cast the most as they ruin a mecha show for me with their indecisiveness and thats why i don't watch much the recent animes. Thus you will expect majority of the characters in this list to be Hotblooded. I like them considering when their characters are done right, they are capable of pulling awe-inspiring moments by overcoming extreme odds solely with their courage alone. In any case try your best to guess the characters included in this list!

Front Mission 1st

 Sometimes a great series starts with a humble beginning and Front Mission happens to be one of them. While the series is not a mainstream one and not all of the titles managed to reach the western shore, it is one of the best Original mecha game series that graced upon gaming world aside Armored Core and others. The Main Appeal of Front Mission is always about their delivery of complex storyline with the icing of solid gameplay. Years ago i used to play the first game on NDS but never actually finished the game and then recently picked up Front Mission 3 again on my vita and halfway decided might as well finish the first game.

 As expected from 16 Bit era gaming, Front Mission 1 is rather brutal as enemies easily wreck your units with one wrong move which can put off people sometimes. In this game your stats matters alot as you won't do any significant damage on opponent's wanzer if your weapon stats too low but once your stats maxed up you will start murdering things here and there. In Front Mission 1 Melee is not really viable at all as you get murdered by those missiles and guns before you are able to land a punch, on the other hand Missiles reigns supreme in this game as it is the safest and powerful method of choice of attack. In terms of mecha design, Front Mission 1 aesthetics still feels like something from generic mecha series but i guess by the time of the Front Mission 2 and 3, the Wanzers finally have their own distinct features. Surprisingly for a series that is famed for its complex stories, Front Mission 1 begins rather minimalistic and self contained but nevertheless lays the important foundation that its sequel follows. I wished i had followed the series when it was still alive but at least i still can appreciate the legacy that this great series left behind. But definitely i will see this series until its end which officially conclude by Front Mission V: Scars of Wars.

From this point on i would like to briefly discuss what sets Front Mission series apart from other mecha series in particular from the point of storytelling which will be spoilerific in nature so tread on your own risk.

Starting Sakura Taisen 3

 Finally Starting to play this game despite some initial setbacks! After playing the first two games, i might as well see the series until its end and the 3rd game is obviously the next game to tackle. Unlike the first two games, Sakura Taisen 3 takes place in Paris with new set of Heroines which are no slouch compared to Hanagumi. So far i have finished three chapters and this game still has the charm and everything you expect from Sakura Taisen game. The battle system in this game had significant improvement from the second game using 3D models now which definitely looked impressive back then and more streamlined battle mechanics akin to Valkyria Chronicles. For a game from 15 years ago, Sakura Taisen 3 doesn't age really much as expected from Sega's Flagship title for Dreamcast back then. From what i heard Sakura Taisen 3 had one of the biggest budget for a VN which still stands until now and certainly its quality is way above average compared to its contemporary. Like other Sakura Taisen i definitely will try to clear all of the heroine routes for this game and i wonder which heroine shall i get the ending first?

Artfx 1/8 Shinguji Sakura

 Ever since the Good Smile Company version of the Shinguji Sakura, i don't we have got any proper full fledged figure for Sakura Taisen series. On the recent Wonderfest, Kotobukiya revealed the prototype for new Sakura Taisen figure which predictably the main heroine herself, Shinguji Sakura. And a while ago we finally got to see the finished version of the figurine which is just plain gorgeous. The figure is slated for October this year with hefty price tag of 13800 Yen as a part of 20th Anniversary of Sakura Taisen Series. While i really want this figure as my  part of collection, the price is just out of my budget for figurine and i guess i will wait for other company to make Sakura Taisen figurine with more reasonable price range.

This figurine version of Shinguji Sakura holding a veil is based on the Sakura Taisen IV Opening which the game considered by some fans as the finale of the series. Sakura Taisen was really big series back in late 90s in Japan with the music and the heroines of the series particularly stands out for its high production value. Shinguji Sakura while not my most favorite heroine in the series is probably one of the best example of Yamato Nadeshiko in Japanese anime and gaming culture though she is not the only one in the series. At the present the series doesn't show up too much except cameo appearance on Project x Zone but i guess a series reboot will require some new bloods as the casts from the series are in their late 40s and 50s by this time. I really wonder if the other Heroines of the series will follow up with their figures as well since Erica Fontaine deserves one at least.

Super Robot Wars MX

 Rewriting this article since i feel MX deserve better treatment. Personally MX is always my personal favorite due to interesting roster combined with having one of the best musical score for SRW series.  Didn't expect it has been five years since i finished my first playthrough of the game and certainly i can comprehend more stuffs in the game compared to the past. In the updated article, i will do more coverage on story that i didn't do back then due to my language limitation as well as more screenshots!

SRW V for Vita!

 After SRW Z3 mess, i really wonder if PS Vita could have a proper SRW and Mecha game overall instead of Shovelwares and it seems that we are getting one. Scheduled for next year as part of 25th anniversary of SRW series, SRW V will be released on PS4 and Vita which appears to be a standalone SRW. The game will be reusing assets from Z3 for the series featured in the game though the debut titles doesn't look too bad! The debuting mecha series are Cross Ange, Space Battleship Yamato 2199, Mightgaine as well as Post-CCA UC series like Hathaway's flash and Crossbone Gundam. Out of the debut series i really look forward for Mightgaine and Space Battleship Yamato 2199 the most, the former for another Yuusha series made it to SRW while the latter for being one of the most awesome battleship in mecha series. While this is not the first time Crossbone shown up in SRW, the sprite is definitely much better than before and finally another Prince of Darkness appearance in SRW which i hope Akito won't be too late joining the team and i will stick him close to Ruri and Nadesico. Probably later this year we will get more information about the SRW V in particular the original cast and by the way i will be posting the updated SRW MX article soon!

Toukiden 2 Demo thoughts

 Picked up the demo on the Vita and i would say Toukiden 2 got really awesome demo. By the time i write the post i have fought the main monster called Shinragou which looks similar to Cthonian Fiend/Gouenma but use more punches. Compared to the first game, looks like Toukiden 2 are getting plenty of new features to keep the series fresh. For a demo i think Toukiden 2 is quite impressive as it 's length is almost close to a single chapter for hunting game and definitely way better than MH4U. You still get lots of things to do even if the there are only 4 available weapon style as there are plenty of to-do stuffs even after you beat Shinragou which by default conclude the demo.

Megazone 23

 Seriously i regretted that i didn't this series earlier since it is just really amazing OVA and easily one of the best in its time. Megazone 23 is an 80s Cyberpunk Mecha OVA featuring transforming motorbike mecha and a showcase what a mecha series could achieve if it is not a toy commercial and easily part of the genre in its pinnacle. The series are consisted of three parts each revolves around a mysterious girl named Eve and how the protagonist's life changed as he seeks her. For an OVA of its time it is a splendid work of art utilizing its medium to the fullest. On top of that it explores uncharted part of Mecha genre in its own way while at the same time juggling with Cave Allegory. My personal favorite part of the OVA is the Third part as it offers amazing futuristic concept which was pretty innovative for its time. Also personally this is the best work that Shinji Aramaki designs were featured as Megazone had the most coherent storytelling out of the series that Aramaki's work featured in. No Doubt this series is one of the more inspirational mecha series and i noticed some of series that took direct inspirations from it. The recently discussed Video Game Gunbike certainly took plenty of its inspiration from Megazone and Armored Core series especially third generation with its bleak dystopian setting. The moment i look at Prototype Garland, i immediately noticed that it is the base model of the original Nineball. It is such a shame that such we didn't see much of great mecha OVA of this caliber and seriously Eve need more figurines for her.

Side Comparison bet

Destroy x Revolution

 If a man had a ring that makes him invisible, will he commit injustice with it? That is Plato's "Ring of Gyges" tale opening a question whether a man will preserve his humanity if he had an absolute power. I never expected a Japanese manga able to re-tell the the topic long-discussed since antiquity in modern settings competently. No less expected from the mangaka of Holyland, Destroy x Revolution raises the question whether a man will abuse his newfound omnipotence through the story of friendship between two boys, one average student that possess ESP Power and another one a popular guy who harbor radical ideals wishing for a change in the World. Together they worked as terrorist group known as "Inquirer" sabotaging Japan in order to destroy the society system that they deem as corrupt. While the Drawing may not look that good, the story makes up for it as it displays raw emotions realistically while making us readers question our existence by reflecting upon Society issues. Not many manga that can pull that of and if you like Parasyte or Holyland you will definitely like this manga. All the manga need is a proper conclusion and it will be a masterpiece. But yeah, seeing bunch of Lawful-Evil 3rd rate Politicians getting thrown into Chopping blocks is quite satisfying too.

SRW MX second playthrough finished!

 I think it has been five years since i completed my first run of SRW MX and i guess due to some nostalgia factors, i decided to do another playthrough of the game on my PSP starting from last month and finished just now. This time i used Garmraid instead which is the Super Robot counterpart of Cerberus. While Garmraid is a decent unit, in the end i feel that Garmraid Blaze is not as cool as Cerberus Ignite when it comes to design. SRW MX had a lasting impression for me since it was one of the early SRW title that i played when my Japanese was rather lacking. As my Japanese language skill got better over past five year, this time i get to appreciate the storyline and the character's interaction better than last time.

I named my MX Squad Alpha Numbers lol

The Meioh Attack simply pwns everything

 For my second playthrough of SRW MX, the game are much more a breeze with extra funds and PP but on top of that MX NewGame+ allows you to keep Upgrade Parts from previous run so you can have fun with those extra Haros. While i got my bias over the series i feel that MX gameplay mechanics and interface doesn't age really well like other pre-Alpha 3 SRW which prevents it to be the best of the series. One of my main gripe over SRW MX is that some of the units will still suck even if you fully upgrade them, i suppose i will just stick with Zeorymer for asskicking purposes. Also the game doesn't have much incentive to play another playthrough compared to other SRW. Nevertheless to this day SRW MX still have the best musical score in the SRW and all it need is some update on gameplay mechanics and it will be a perfect SRW. After playing SRW MX for 2nd time i think i will do some revisits on the mecha series featured on the game like Rahxephon and Zeorymer and probably in near future i will be updating the game article as well.

Also Condolences for Yuko Mizutani's Family and Friends over her recent passing away, her role as Excellen in SRW OG shall be missed

Otaking's R-Type Tribute

 I don't post people's fanmade videos in general but i think this one is an exception since it deserve much more views. Mr Otaking, a reputable tripfag on /m/ who made himself well known on Youtube for animating fanmade Star Wars TIE Fighters video. Recently made an R-TYPE tribute video. Like the previous TIE Fighter videos, the R-TYPE videos are just filled with plenty of awesomeness with way above average quality for a fanmade video. Seriously Mr Otaking worth to be respected for creating such awesome homage to the glory days of Mecha back in 80s.

 While i am terrible at Bullet Hell game, i always attracted to these genre because they tend to have delicious mecha design. R-type was one of the more well known shooting game back in the Arcade age in particular for its insane difficulty and rather grimdark setting. While i never played the actual shooting game, it was a horizontal shooting game similar to Gradius and popular enough to spawn plenty of Sequels. It is such a shame that the series developer; Irem gave up everything on its gaming library when it went bankrupt few years ago which basically stopped the re-distribution for their once popular games. I suppose one of these days i will finish my R-Type Tactics playthrough for the sake of respecting the series. Also if you want further informations about R-Type series, you can just look at HardcoreGaming101 Article.

Speed Power Gunbike

One of PSX mecha game that i recently added to my Japanese Vita library and it was such an unpolished gem. Gunbike was the first game released by Inti Creates which developed games like Megaman Zero and the recent Azure Striker Gunvolt. It was a racing mixed with action game but what makes it special is that it features Transformable Motorbike Power Armor which resemble something from Shinji Aramaki's Megazone and Mospeada's design. As a mecha fan i find the concept that Gunbike offers are really interesting concept despite the gameplay mechanics are unpolished. To this day i still wonder why there are no developers interested to develop something out of this much unexplored subgenre of mecha game