Fate/Stay Night 1/7 15th anniversary Dress Figure Premium Set

 2019 marked the 15th Anniversary for Fate Franchise which have come a long way! Certainly this joyous occasion deserved a celebration and while it is late by a year, Goodsmile Company had commited for their part! For 15th anniversary of Fate/Stay Night, GSC will be releasing figures each for the original 3 Main Heroines; Saber, Rin and Sakura in the 15th anniversary dress. The figures are sold separately, but GSC gave an option for complete premium set which had all 3 Main Heroine figures in a single package and come with special packaging and bonus goodies. The 15th Anniversary Premium set will be sold for whopping 45000 Yen with Mid 2021 release schedule.

 This is no doubt another Holy Grail for diehard Fate fans though i wonder who will get the complete set considering Fate Fans usually have one specific favorite out of the three Main Heroines. The choice of the 15th anniversary dress is quite particular as they are basically Short Dress with long gowns attached flowing on the side and rear. Practicality issue aside, i suppose the dress design supposed to emphasize the youthfulness of the three main heroines even after 15 years have passed especially with Saber being the main eternal heroine after all. 45000 Yen is not the amount of money i am willing to spend for PVC figure but i am still willing to get a Nendoroid Petit set of the 15th anniversary version should GSC ever consider one.

Revisiting Sengoku Rance

It has been more than 10 years since i played this legendary Alicesoft title! Sengoku Rance, among many VN titles is the one that make me hooked into Visual Novels. Rance series had been a Big Shot in its industry and one that had survived Three Decades worth of journey, an achievement that not many can brag about. The Visual Novel basically all about adventure of warrior named Rance who is known for his extreme lust. An unlikely material for a Hero, but he had what it takes to save humanity with him going for an epic adventure in each iterations. Recently i decided to get back into Rance series once again starting from Sengoku Rance after i saw some videos of Rance X which served as the epic conclusion for an epic series.

Rance series had one of the best Fantasy JRPG setting out there with its rich amount of worldbuilding that even puts many JRPG to shame, not something expected from an 18+ Visual Novel. While majority of the groundwork laid in the Kichikuou Rance, Sengoku Rance is one of the sequel that actually put better use on them complemented with very good gameplay. AFAIK Rance series gameplay are mostly Wizardry esque JRPG but for once Sengoku Rance is a grand strategy game which makes you lead an army and unify JAPAN. Therefore this is actually one of the best gateway for Rance series of all 10 titles in the series. At the moment i am doing my first run and now close to complete the game. Back then i only finished the True History and Isoroku Route, but this time i will finish Kenshin's route at very least. If you are interested in Visual Novel, Rance is one of the best one out there if you prefer the JRPG genre.

FLAG

 One of the last Ryosuke Takahashi anime works and probably his most realistic take on mecha series. FLAG is a mecha anime with war documentary format covering a scenario of Modern World conflict. For once this mecha anime took on perspective of a Journalist who is attached to a Top Secret UN Military task force that uses Experimental Mecha called HAVWCS for their military operations. FLAG captures the nature of Modern Warfare quite well taking a shot on Civil War scenario conflict on NotTibet which essentially mirrors a Proxy War between Superpower nations. While the Mecha used in the series is not flashy,  HAVWCS particularly showcase how a mecha fits in modern war which are swift and brief in nature. Despite FLAG still have the typical symptoms of Ryosuke Takahashi's mysticism. the production team did a good homework on the Politics and Warfare aspect which counterbalance the former.

If you look for something different than your typical mecha series, you could try giving FLAG a watch for a change. While Obsolete had the potential to surpass this anime and Gasaraki by far margin, the former still owes many things to its predecessor to reach its rightful place.

Metal Armor Dragonar

 Metal Armor Dragonar is one of the most iconic mecha series in 80s which has been in my watchlist for a long time since my exposure to it from Another Century Episode. Back in its time, Dragonar is probably intended to be possible Gundam successor and it certainly got what it takes to be a top tier Mecha Anime considering Sunrise definitely tried to make good use of their accumulated knowledge of Mechas from the 80s. However many things went awry with Dragonar which unfortunately make this series turns out to be another wasted potential in the end, which is partly the reason why Gundam is still running to this day.

Licorne 1/7 Jeanne Alter 3rd Ascension

 Jeanne Alter, being one of the most popular waifu from FGO no doubt gets plenty of PVC figures dedicated for her and we are getting another notable one made by Licorne! If you think last year's Alter 1/7 Jalter was pricey, this one will put even more dent on your wallet. The prototype of this Jalter figure have been around for more then a year already being shown at Wonderfests after another but finally the manufacturer feels ready to release the product. Licorne's figure for the 3rd Ascension of the Dragon Witch will be sold for 31500 yen with January 2021 release schedule. The Licorne's Jalter figure comes with possible swappable faceplate but had Wyvern Skull as part of the accessory which is rather questionable choice. Nevertheless Licorne do manage to capture the Sadistic personality of Jeanne Alter but it is up for debate if it surpass Alter's rendition of her. Since i already had the Dress version of Jalter, this is an easy skip for me. You can check my review for Max Factory 1/7 Jeanne Alter Dress here

Gasaraki Robot Spirit Type 17 Tactical Armor Raiden

 From Late 90s Sunrise Mecha series Gasaraki, Bandai for some reason decided to make a Robot Spirit out of this relatively obscure series after more than 20 years Gasaraki Aired. Back then the only merchandise available for Gasaraki series was Bandai model kit which was relatively affordable. This particular Robot Damashii rendition of Raiden cost 7500 yen and will be scheduled for May 2020 release. If this Robot Spirit was made 5-7 years ago i think Bandai could have sold them under 5000 Yen because with 7500 price tag, only diehard real robot fan willing to buy one. Since i am Yutaka Izubuchi's fan, i will get Raiden in the end as it exemplifies the Aesthetics of Izubuchi's real robot.  Though i recall Raiden's colour scheme was green in the anime not the desert color that is used for the Robot Spirits.

Gasaraki would have been a good Real Robot series if it wasn't ruined by Ryosuke Takahashi's penchant for mysticisms. The series had solid portrayal of Global Politics with modern warfare even though it will be boring for viewers that are not into this kind of thing. The recent Bandai Visual's animation Obsolete seems to be a good spiritual successor of Gasaraki which could accomplish what its spiritual predecessor unable to. If this RoDA sales particularly well which is unlikely, Ishtar Mk2 and Kugai would likely follow suit.

Early January 2020 Loot

 Actually something i gathered from last month and as usual, if it is not mecha related toys then it will be FGO related merch. I tend to get the mecha related toys after i finished watching the series which applies to Yamato and Gun X Sword, Robot Damashii Volkein is certainly a good rare catch for my recent hauls. I got myself Nendoroid Ishtar since she visited my Chaldea and likely will get one for Eresh someday when she also heed my summon. While i tend to avoid Disney merch due to disdain for their shady practice i decided to get some Toy Story 4 goodies, Bunny and Ducky is the MVP on the movie thus i bought their Cosbaby and I got Bo Peep's sheep for someone's present. I think it will be difficult to for me to cover the review for these toys in this month since i need to take plenty of things in my Real Life at this time. But Volkein will likely be the first to get the review i think.

Shinchou Yuusha: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious

 First post for 2020 and it is about another Kadokawa's Isekai Anime that i watched from last season! I tend to avoid Isekais in general because they are hotbeds for escapism and power creep wrapped in poor writing. But i give Shinchou Yuusha a try after seeing the Main Heroine Goddess is associated with Aqua and Ishtar and the anime is an entertaining ride if mediocre. The main premise of Shinchou Yuusha is your usual Isekai Protagonist summoned to save the world from Demon Lord. But this one come with a twist where the Main Hero is extremely paranoid to the point that he overprepared everything much to the annoyance Goddess in charge of him. Shinchou Yuusha is basically what happens in RPG Campaign where a powergamer face a Killer DM campaign. The main source of entertainment from Shinchou Yuusha comes from Goddess Ristarte antics stemming from her lust toward the main protagonist which cements her position as another Damegami. If you like Konosuba, you will likely enjoy this series as well because it really has the same vibe with the former. As for me i am looking forward to Ristarte's Nendoroid to complete my Damegami set

Metal Build Hardcore Mecha 1/100 MFX-02T Thunderbolt Review

One last Review to wrap up 2019!

Gun X Sword

 If Cowboy Bebop uses Mecha instead of Spaceships, I think Gun X Sword is the closest thing to it. Watching this anime in preparation for SRW T and this anime doesn't disappoint for a mecha fan! Gun X Sword premise share plenty of similarities with Cowboy Bebop where a Ragtag band of Misfits lead by carefree protagonist who had personal vendetta with the Main Villain. To me Gun X Sword is a series that had a place somewhere in between Wild Arms and Cowboy Bebop, a closest thing to a Spaghetti Western Mecha series. Surprisingly the production value of Gun X Sword is quite high and the mecha designs are one of the better of its time. The series had solid start in the first half but went slightly downhill on the second part which probably made this series forgotten. Nevertheless Gun X Sword still conclude its story properly and remains a good watch to this day.

Funko POP Warhammer 40k Space Marine Review

In the Grim Darkness of the far future, there are POPs!

Lord El-Melloi II Case Files - Rail Zeppelin Grace Note

 Few days ago i gave myself a time to watch this particular Fate series spin off and it certainly washes off the bad aftertaste of previous anime that i watched. I have been taking a close watch to El Melloi II Case files since its Event Campaign on FGO JP around mid of this year. In short, if you are a fan of Nasuverse you will be in for a treat with this particular Lord El Melloi Case Files anime!

 From what i know Lord El Melloi Case files are Light Novel series created a while after Fate/Zero anime, featuring Waver Velvet one of the surviving 4th Holy Grail War Master as the main character. The Novel cover's Waver's adventures as Lord El-Melloi II where he investigates mysterious cases involving magic which usually revolve around murder. During his investigation, Waver is accompanied by his Apprentice; Gray, a mysterious teenage girl who wield an artifact that had mysterious ties with King Arthur serving as a fighter when things resort to violence.

SRW V 2nd run Complete + Platinum Trophy

 Could have done this faster but finally beat the 2nd run for SRW V and getting the Platinum Trophy! settling my business for this game. Second Run for SRW is usually a easier due to the newgame+ Bonus but the one that SRW V bestows is too generous which made the whole run to be way much a breeze.

Masou Kishin Cybuster Anime

 Wow people didn't lie when they say this anime is really bad, no doubt Cybuster is one of the worst mecha anime of its time. Loosely using SRW Masoukishin as its base, the production team managed to make an abomination out of a good series. I won't bother talking about the story of Cybuster anime but it's what if Masoukishin fights took on Earth on a much smaller scale piloted by weak pilots. Basically Cybuster is a copy of a copy, While Masoukishin was borrows heavily from Dunbine it manage to add value to mecha series overall whereas Cybuster did the reverse. The worst offense that this anime made is making the 4 Elemental Lords into robots that brawl on fistfight making it a shadow of its former self by far margin. I think Anime like Cybuster is what happen when a group of animators tried to make an anime without a backing of decent writer to make a coherent storyline.

This anime might have been more tolerable if it doesn't borrow Masoukishin for its them, but it will still be another lackluster anime in the end. Out of many Mecha series that i have watched, Cybuster is easily one of the worst that watched and doesn't have any redeemable value. So in conclusion if you are a SRW fan, steer away from this anime because it will ruin your experience.

Recent Muvluv Hauls

 It has been more than 3 years since i got any Merchandise related to Muvluv. I suppose it has to do with the recent re-release for Official Muvluv Alternative VN which i decided to do my part to support this series. The Muvluv goods i got are the consolidation from my purchase on last month and this month. I got the Sumika and Vita copy of Muvluv Alternative earlier and then the Volks A3 followed up last week which i got from last month. I got the Volks A3 around 1000 Yen each but due to the Proxy service, the price for them went doubled, but still a good haul nonetheless. I really want to get cracking on the Muvluv Alternative soon though i need to finish my SRW V second run first.

While i am indifferent with the series nowadays. I did really like Muvluv series back then due to the potential it had as mecha series and it was no doubt still the best one coming from VN. But my attachment with Muvluv dies down as Age wasted opportunities after another with their half baked adaptations post Alternative. I would love to see a proper mecha action game out of Muvluv series one day even though it is rather unlikely to happen in the present.