Yami Playing Monster Hunter Rise

  The main reason of my inactivity of past two weeks and i am really glad to be back into Monster Hunter verse once again with MHGU being my last MH Game in past few years. At first i didn't particularly care about this game, but being goaded by my old hunting buddies i had no choice but reciprocate the call. Being the truly new MH Title for Nintendo Switch, Monster Hunter Rise offers a solid new start for one of the best selling Capcom series to date. MH Rise begins with a very good first impression along with the best Questgiver waifus to date. In MHR, the Hunter starts in Kamura village which is pretty much improvised Yukumo village slapped with tons of Ninjas theme. There are so much to tell about the gameplay improvement mechanics but MHR, but notably those QoL enhancements from Monster Hunter World so no more stupid flexing pose when drinking potions! Also you get you own Dog companion called Palamute which you can ride to travel around the maps quickly which certainly make the Palicoes felt overshadowed.

 Overall Monster Hunter Rise provides a solid gameplay experience for Monster Hunter which sheds a lot of redundant baggage from previous generations. No doubt Monster Hunter as series is one of the few that managed to have consistent improvements throughout its iterations which is a great achievement for Japanese Console Gaming industry that has been slowly in deline. The only flaw for MHR would be its current limited roster especially on the low-mid range which is probably due to the game was rushed ahead 3-6 months ahead of its development, but at very least Capcom are still addressing this issue with constant update. While the G-Rank expansion will be coming eventually, MHRise content still worth more than its retail price despite its current roster is still about half of MHGU. At the moment i have cleared all village Quest and now slowly moving on the Hub Quests. Looking forward to get the Teostra set in this game once again!

Disgaea RPG

 While i thought my mobile game plate is quite full with 3 Gacha Game already, somehow i still managed to shove another one in, and this time it is Disgaea RPG based from Nippon Ichi's acclaimed SRPG series! I decided to give this game a try since my sister hyped about this game which got recent english port early this month. I remembered that Nippon Ichi back then was in dire strait when trying to release the Japanese version but fortunately made it through. If you are a fan of the console Disgaea series, you will find it right at home with Disgaea RPG as it still carry the spirit of Disgaea series despite its gacha format. The game is still a grindfest but still less then a chore for those who don't have time to grind in the console game anymore. I picked Valvatorez as my starter SSR since Disgaea 4 is my favorite among the title and waiting for Artina, Tyrant and Almaz eventual release.

While Disgaea is rather late getting into the Gacha mobile market, the gameplay has decent and its potential is sufficient enough to stay for a while. I don't really expect Disgaea RPG to be a top selling Gacha since the audience it caters is rather niche and the SSR rate are not particularly generous either dropping at 3% with no pity rate. At very least the game is quite dolphin friendly if you just want to spend a bit and not full on whale. 

The main reason i decided to throw some lot with Disgaea RPG lies with the potential it possess. The game has possibility to consolidate all of Nippon Ichi RPG series with Disgaea at its core, would love to see Makai Kingdom or Phantom Brave to make cameo appearance someday. Disgaea series remain to be one of the RPG series that has superb 2D sprite and this gacha game could make good reuse of the assets because a single game could only put in so much unit without getting bloated. From what i looked at the Japan version, Disgaea RPG managed to survive for two years so far so at very least i believe the english version will be around for a year.

Arknights Nendoroid 1598 Lappland

 As expected, the slightly crazy and obsessive Lupo Operator, Lappland chase after Texas after the latter get her Nendoroid treatment. With the Nendoroid Lappland release announcement you are now able to complete the Warehouse team consisting of Exusiai, Texas and Lappland. Scheduled for November release Nendoroid Lappland will be sold for 6300 Yen costing slightly more than Nendoroid Texas. Lappland's crazy expression will certainly complement Texas unamused expression faceplate.

 In Arknights, Lappland is a 5* Ranged Guard Operator who makes a good starter unit with the utility she brings into the field. While her sword design is rather weird, Lappland is one of the few melee unit capable of dealing arts damage with her skill and more importantly disable enemy ability with her strike which is a godsend when fighting against the pesky exploding spiders. In the storyline, Lappland is depicted to have unhealthy obsession toward Texas due to their times in crime family where they were at each others throat. What stands out from the Nendoroid version of Lappland is her Wolf Spirit accessory which is probably the reason why her Nendoroid cost 700 Yen more compared to Texas. While the pace is not quite as fast, we will still be seeing more Arknights Nendoroids in the future which likely be 6* operators which Angelina, Saria or Skadi comes to mind as the best candidate.
 

Space Runaway Ideon

 

 One of the infamous 80s mecha series made by Tomino that contributes to his moniker as "Kill em all" Tomino and Ideon no doubt serves as an important milestone for mecha series. My first exposure with Ideon was from SRW Alpha 3 where the GM God is the most powerful playable unit which had some nasty side effects if relying too much of its power. Space Runaway Ideon is easily one of the most depressing mecha anime out there as the main casts of the series tried to survive assaults by relentless enemy. 

 As a mecha series, Ideon is rather subpar with lackluster storyline, but the concept that it had is what makes Ideon noteworthy. Ideon's storyline is comparable to what happen if the story of Mobile Suit Gundam is just all about White Base getting chased by Zeons and nothing else. The concept that Ideon tried to convey however is interesting because it is about a destructive power that will consume everything in its path when two opposing sides endlessly fight in vicious cycle of hatred without giving a chance for peace. Evangelion and Shingeki no Kyojin is what comes to mind to series that had similar premise but each went with their own conclusions. As a mecha fans, Ideon is definitely worth a visit despite its weakness and personally i think it has some neat concept art that inevitably poorly executed. If you can't stomach the 38 Episodes slogfest, the movie should work i suppose but To Be Invoked definitely a must watch to see a proper conclusion of the mecha series that had GM God as its titular mecha.

Arknights 1/7 Exusiai Elite 2

 For once we are getting Arknights PVC figure distributed by GSC though this one falls on pricier side. The ever reliable pointman Sniper operator gets a 1/7 PVC treatment based on her Elite 2 Promotion illustration. The 1/7 Exusiai PVC Figure will be sold for 23000 Yen with November 2021 release schedule. I suppose the price range for this one is rather steep compared to the Arknights PVC Figure manufactured by APEX, but i suppose it has something to do with the products distributed by GSC Shanghai which cost extra compared to regular Japan release. In any case Exusiai Elite 2 PVC figure is a high end collectible for Arknights catered for those whale players and i will still wait POP UP Parade release for the series. As for Exusiai herself, she is a reliable Sniper operator who is belongs to the original Big 3 6* Operators but as of late, her performance is rather underwhelming due to prevalence of High armor enemies on later stages and the recent Rainbow 6 Collab Operator Ash seems to overshadow the Apple Pie Angel Sniper.

Shingeki no Kyojin manga finale

 One of the most popular shonen manga in the past few years has finally come to an end with its 139th chapter! I avoided Shingeki no Kyojin as the majority of the fandoms seems to be filled by edgy teens for otherwise a Shonen Manga series that had some good writing and particularly excel at emotional rollercoaster. The ending for Shingeki no Kyojin did not conclude with a high note, but it is still an acceptable one. Ultimately the atrocity that Eren carried upon himself as expected does not conclude the cycle of hatred between Eldian and the World, but it resets the playing field into a blank slate giving opportunity for both while the former still have an upper hand. At very least Eren's aim to save his friend's life still works.

 While the last chapter conclude majority of the plot, due to the rushed job nature it still leave some questions unanswered particularly Historia's baby father which is supposed to be a big deal. I think the finale was not in Isayama sensei full control as there many interests from all side and Kodansha definitely had a say on how the finale folded out. This is because Shingeki no Kyojin as a franchise are still worth milking and thus the conclusion are quite open-ended. I personally think one extra chapter could serve as good icing but i hope it won't lead to the same fate like Naruto with the Boruto debacle. In any case Shingeki no Kyojin still earn its place as a top tier shonen manga.

March 2021 Loot

 I think my spendings for Toys over past three months are quite overkill since i got myself a solid range of hauls in this time range. This months loot represents my collection target quite well which are balance of Mecha and FGO related merchandise with few outliers lies in between. The best catch of this month's loot is no doubt the SCM Sagittarius Aiolos which i had been looking for a playable substitute for the God Cloth version. I think i could cover reviews for the loots in this batch quite quick since i am planning a desert theme for future review which most would fit quite well. In any i really need to work on the Gundam Ensemble since the backlog has piled up to 4 volumes already.
 

Fate/Grand Order Figma 521-DX Okita Souji

  Max Factory is quite quick with this one, not more than 2 months after Figma Okitan, the vanilla Okita Souji followed up not to be beaten by her sister with a DX version no less. When the prototype was revealed, Figma Okita Souji is initially shown in her 2nd Ascension form which is the most appropriate choice for a 1/12 Action Figure when it comes. But Max Factory came up a good solution for Okita's Shinsengumi Haori which is one of the more iconic feature of this popular FGO Waifu servant. Figma Okita Souji will be scheduled for November 2021 release with 8000 Yen Price tag for the regular version and 10000 Yen for the DX.

 For additional 2000 Yen, the DX comes with the Shinsengumi Haori and another Katana as well as extra face plate. The Haori is made of Cloth Material which is the best choice when articulation is considered and should have good compatibility with other Figma and possibly Nendoroid Dolls as well. There are definitely rooms for improvement for more face expressions and Okita's Daishori pose, but probably that one will be reserved for Summer Okita Figma which had a good shot to make it as this year's summer exclusive. Nevertheless Max Factory definitely put their effort to make a Figma Product for Okita Souji to be an acceptable collectible for FGO fans. Hopefully Max Factory will give the same treatment for Lancer Artoria as well conisdering that one had even bigger stake.

Densetsu no Yuusha Da Garn The GATTAI Da-Garn X

 Ever since CM Corp went bust few years ago, Yuusha series has seen drought in new merchandises save for Gaogaigar and it was not until recent years that Manufacturers trying their chances with this classic Mecha series. In the past two years Bandai and Kotobukiya had released several Yuusha miniplas such as Minipla and Model kits, and now Goodsmile thrown in their lot with a bang with their product for the 3rd Yuusha series, Brave Legend Da Garn!

 This is rather ambitious project by GSC yet commendable as they are releasinga luxurious 25 cm Toy for Da Garn X complete with transformation gimmick under the GATTAI lineup. The Gattai Da Garn X will be scheduled for January 2022 release with 24900 Yen price tag. The Gattai Da Garn X comes with all of its main armament Da Garn Blade and Earth Cannon with the complete transformation gimmick for the vehicle mode which is a combination of Bullet Train, Jet Fighter and Police Car.

 The Gattai Da Garn X has the potential to be a worthy successor for the Takara's DX since the sculptor tried to have the Da Garn X proportion as faithful as possible compared to the Anime. The effort by GSC to lower the price as affordable as possible is very commendable because The Gattai Da Garn X would easily cost over 30000 Yen with its gimmicks and could have reached 50k if it is made by Sentinel. However the effort to lower the price comes with a cost as there are no Diecast materials for the toys and i think the articulation is probably compromised as well.

 In any case i sincerely wish The Gattai Da Garn X to be successful since it is necessary to pave out the future prospects of the Yuusha series. Because i would love to see other Yuushas like Fire Dagwon or Sky Goldran getting the same treatment as well. It seems that in near future, Da Garn X partner Gaon will be following up as well since Great Da Garn GX has been planned out ever since the idea for Da Garn X Toy was conceived. As for the next Yuushas, i think Mightgaine has a good shot too considering the prototype was shown a while ago.

Mobile Suit Gundam Ensemble EX 30 OMNI Boosted-man set

 Another great Gundam designs for Ensemble that end up at Premium Bandai series. Gundam Seed have been lavished with some good entries for MS Ensemble which majority of them locked into P-Bandai and the Druggies Trio Gundams are no exception. Slated for August 2021 release, Gundam Ensemble Boosted-Man set which consist of Forbidden, Calamity and Raider Gundam will be released for whopping price of 8500 Yen. 

 With that amount of money you could get almost 2 Box worth of or 3 Sets of the regular Gundam Ensemble. So each of the Druggies Trio Ensemble practically worth 5 of the regular version. With the gimmicks i could see they worth 3 times of the regular units but 5 times is abit too much.

 While they serve as the antagonist units in SEED series piloted by psychopaths, i have personal fondness with the Druggies Gundam. Each of them no doubt had an advantage over the first generation GAT-X Gundams but they definitely stood no chance against Justice and Freedom Gundam. In the SEED series the Boosted Man is a desperate attempts by OMNI to create pilots who are capable to fight with Coordinator on equal grounds. The project proved out to be successful but comes with nasty side effects as the Boosted Man pilots are mentally unstable and require frequent medical treatment which is the source of their nickname as Druggies. I still had fond memory using the Druggies unit in Rengou vs Zaft especially Calamity Gundam who could pepper the opponent with plenty of dakka.

 In the near future, I could see Bandai will probably consider making Ensemble for the Extended trio at some point but that will be likely another P-Bandai release.

Fate/Extella Link SPM Lancelot Berserker Review

 The Knight of the Lake enters in his maddened state.

Threads of Fate

 One of those One-shots old school JRPG Title made by Squaresoft before their eventual merge with Enix and this one had a particular nostalgic feel. Threads of Fate or Dewprism is an Action-RPG game with Lighthearted story two heroes adventure, Rue and Mint in search of vague Powerful wish granting treasure called "Relic". I used to play this game ages ago but always quit early and only manage to settle the debt after getting a copy on my Vita. 

 In a hindsight, Threads of Fate is comparable to Megaman Legends and appears to be half-assed attempt by Squaresoft to make a fantasy version of the latter.   Threads of Fate shared plenty of game formula with MML with Ancient Civilization theme played a huge part in the storyline and the illusion of Epic Adventure that the game tried to evoke. The Nostalgic feeling toward Threads of Fate probably made me highly regard the game before i managed to play it once again and to be honest Threads of Fate is mediocre at best. The game is more like a Action Platformer with some RPG element instead of a genuine Action RPG and the mechanics is rather unpolished. The only redeeming value of Threads of Fate for me would be the distinct Concept Art and the game do have a couple of good Music Score.

 So currently i have finished Rue's Storyline and will finish Mint's route as well to completely wrap up my trip with this game. While most of JRPG game like Threads of Fate failed to deliver, I am always have personal fondness with PSX era RPG Game where they tried to offer an experience of Epic adventure. Given how Megaman Legends 2 end up, i do see why Threads of Fate didn't get any continuation even if it had a shot in early 2000s but by this time the window of opportunity definitely has long gone.
 

Shin Sakura Taisen SPM Amamiya Sakura

  The new Teikoku Kagekidan is here!

Aura Battler Dunbine HG 1/72 Sirbine

 
 Seems like Bandai got really triggered with the Plamax release of Sirbine Model Kit two months ago and decided to release their own version of the Silver Knight's Model Kit to one up the game! Due to reasons there are some deviations of the aesthetics of the Bandai's model kit compared to the original design but it still looks great and comes with shield nonetheless. Bandai's HG 1/72 Sirbine will be scheduled for July release with 3800 Yen price tag which is a good price if it is not for P-Bandai status.

 In terms of proportions, HG Sirbine looks pretty much close compared to the Robot Damashii version with minor tweaks on some parts, for instance the Chest part is a solid color instead of tranparent, perhaps due to difficulty to make quality parts for the cost. Also for some reason the shield design is different compared to the original one with the HG version is less roundish and looks something from Galient, probably has to do with the Plamax copyright or something. Would have gotten this if i didn't had the Robot Damashii version already and given Bandai's efficient reuse of resources, i could see Tamashii Nation could release this version eventually which i don't mind to double dip.

Road to Kingdom

  Another Dark Fantasy Manga that i encountered which hold quite a potential since it is based from a long running Light Novel series. Oukoku e tsuzuku michi or Road to Kingdom is a story of man's journey to Kingship from a lowly Slave. The main character, Aegir is a former gladiator who broke free from his bondage and had his life changed after a fateful encounter with a female vampire. After spending two years with the female vampire who made Aegir a man and taught him the ways of the world, Aegir set forth on a journey as a mercenary to make a name for himself and become a worthy King and claim the female vampire as his wife rightfully someday. Since Road to Kingdom is a Seinen series, expect plenty of Gore and R18 fanservice and the manga certainly made quite an initialimpact with generous amount of H-scenes. Aegir's character essentially took the better qualities of Guts and Rance being less gloomy than the former while less sadistic compared to latter and still scoring chicks here and there. 

 I won't give my final verdict with this series yet but i think Road to Kingdom should be cut above the typical Isekai series, In any case Road to Kingdom is a good fantasy series if you want to step up from ecchi fanservice and settle with mature actions. As for now i will just try exploring the 400+ chapters worth of the novel translations to see the worth of the series.