Final Gear Sakura Taisen Collab

 I have been  waiting for this very moment! At long last Final Gear Global version will be having the Sakura Taisen collab event early next month, most likely on 2nd June considering the game tend to update on Thursday. In this event, the original Teikoku Kagekidan will be featured as crossover units with Sakura, Maria, Sumire and Kanna recruitable from two separate banners while Kouran obtainable as the welfare unit and lastly Iris through some kind of spending scheme.

 Out of the gacha game that i have played, Final Gear is the most time consuming one since i have to spend at least 2 hours everyday for the daily grind. However i managed to put up with these nonsense for 6 months solely because of the very prospect of this Sakura Taisen collab event, so hopefully the effort will worth it. Personally i think Komoe is way too aggressive with the collab release considering we have collab event once in every two months and a UR banner recently. Because up until now, Final Gear collabs always demand Players to spend some money if they want their crossover unit raised up to their full potential,

 With this kind of release timing, Final Gear is definitely not F2P friendly game which i expect non paying players will show their plebeian sides badly, but personally it is fine for me because i have specifically reserved Crystals for this very collab which fortunately sufficient even after i spent a significant chunk during Evangelion 2nd event.

In any case i hope Final Gear will survive long enough that we can have another continuation for Sakura Taisen collab since Paris Kagekidan is way too under-represented despite being top tier material.

Onmyoji 1/7 Shiranui

 Onmyoji's Top Waifu Shiki, Shiranui once again got another luxurious product release and this time it is 1/7 Figure made by Wing. Scheduled for December 2022 release, 1/7 Shiranui will be sold for a whopping 27500 Yen! Must be the large fan that costed extra 10k for this figure.

 Along with Yotohime, Shiranui is one of the most popular character from Onmyoji series due to her tragic backstory and high Waifu value. Personally i think Shiranui is one of the best role by Nao Touyama who usually play tomboyish female character role in anime but with Shiranui, the Seiyuu proved that she is perfectly capable of playing good waifu role. 

The reason why i am particularly fixated with Shiranui is that this character provide opportunity for Nao Touyama to showcase her talent while being sidelined in FGO. In Fate/Grand Order, despite her relative popularity Seiyuus Nao Touyama was given only supporting character role like Suzuka Gozen and Ibaraki because the better roles are taken by veteran seiyuus. It is such bizarre thing that some talented Japanese Seiyuus are appreciated better in Chinese made games than their native Japanese game. This is the same case for Seiyuus like Rina Satou who is given great opportunity in Arknights
 

Sousei no Aquarion Super Minipla Aquarion

 Sousei Gattai! GO! Aquarion! Another Mecha from Kawamori Series that got a new product after quite some time and it is nice to see Aquarion once again. Scheduled for September 2022 release with 9900 Yen price tag, Aquarion is getting a minipla from Bandai!

 Replicating its SOC Counterpart, Minipla Aquarion will come with complete transformation gimmick that allows 3 Different forms of Aquarion; Solar, Mars and Luna. Unfortunately the weapons and effect parts are sold separately, so fans need to fork additional 5400 Yen for Mugen Punch effect parts and the weapons including Solar Sword. However it is still somewhat understandable considering the transformation mechanics of Aquarion is somewhat complicated with Combiner plane Robot reminiscent of Getter Robo which comes with detailed intricate design expected from father of Macross. If Minipla Aquarion is selling well, i think Mass Produced Aquarion or even Evol will come out someday which i will look forward to.

Fate/Grand Order Figma 568-DX Lancer Artoria

  Fate/Grand Order popularity has been waning over past two years, but it does not mean the mechandise are stopping anytime soon and Max Factory came with another big gun! It takes sometime but finally Lancer Artoria came into Figma format complete with her loyal steed, Dun Stallion. Scheduled for May 2023 release, Figma Lancer Artoria comes with two different version, Regular one cost 9500 Yen while the DX version will be sold for 17800 Yen.

The extra 8000 Yen of Figma Lartoria DX is for Figma Dun Stallion which is actually bigger than Figma Cuirassier. You can get a regular Figma horse for 4000 Yen but Dun Stallion probably cost double due to extra armors on him. In terms of accessory,both  Lartoria version parts are pretty much identical, coming with 2 versions of Rhongomyniad and at least come with her gentle smile faceplate which is a good selling point for her. 

 Since i had Lancer Artoria in my FGO account for quite some time, i will most likely get the DX version considering it will be a pain to find Dun Stallion on aftermarket despite i have some major gripes with the product. I already had misgivings from the Nendoroid release, but it seems that Max Factory decide to flat out ignore Lartoria 1st/2nd Ascension form and go straight to the 3rd Ascension which comes with cleavage. I am quite sure that Max Factory could make separate armored torso for Lartoria just like Figma Gilgamesh. Personally i dont even mind paying another extra 3000/4000 Yen just to have Artoria's Lancer variant in her proper knight getup. 

 Lartoria is a good waifu no doubt but this incarnation for the Figma just plainly try to ignore the knightly side of her character. If Max Factory tried to pull the same crap with Lancer Artoria Alter Figma don't expect me to even support that crap.

Robot Tactics X

 Over past few weeks, my appetite for gacha games grew significantly for some reason and one Mecha game called Robot Tactics X catches my attention. Mecha games in Android are a rarity let alone a Gacha one with Final Gear being the best one around. Robot Tactics X is a SRPG Mecha game with Gacha Mechanics and the next iteration of mecha game called Robot Tactics. In essence it is prettier version of the predecessor  with better 3D model for the mechas. 

 What catches my attention from Robot Tactics X is its close resemblance with SRW Masoukishin being a Grid-based Strategy RPG featuring full proportion mecha sprite and it comes with some cool mecha designs too. If you like Masoukishin/Xenogears/Armored Core, you might find the mecha aesthetics of this game really appealing. 

In terms of overall Value, Robot Tactics X is unfortunately another B-Tier Gacha Game that has unusually good strength at its mecha design. Compared to Final Gear, Robot Tactics X is not too well rounded with lackluckster in everything else aside from the Mecha as the Pilots lack variety and the voice acting are non existent. In terms of Gacha, this game is mediocre with bad monetary options which it try to make up with free daily pulls. But in the end Robot Tactics X still has potentials to improve as it has solid fundamental in its Mecha designs and that's what matters for this genre.

Trapped in a Dating Sim - Mobuseka

 

 Another Isekai series with ridiculously long name that i encountered recently but this one is above average and got mecha too! Trapped in a Dating Sim - The World of Otome Games is tough for mobs or Mobuseka in short is a Isekai series that had the Protagonist sent into a Fantasy World series based on a Dating Sims game. While the title might imply that the series catered to female audience, Mobuseka definitely still aimed at the general audience of Isekai Genre.

Destiny Girls / The Symphony of the Dragon and Girl

 One of the newer gacha game that is promoted heavily over last month and long story short i gave in to see what its worth. Destiny Girl is an idle gacha game that is ported from a Japanese game named Symphony of the Dragon and Girls or Dragal in short. In this game you gather bunch of waifus named after Historical characters and had them fight Dragons as main adversary. 

 Overall Destiny Girls is B-tier Gacha game that mainly panders on Horny teens with its risque and saucy illustration similar to what games like Evony and other did as their marketing strategy. When it comes to Gacha, Destiny Girls SSR rate is rather standard despite generous amount of handouts in the beginning. The main selling point of this game is the fanservice L2D illustrations rewarded to players as they ascended the SSR Characters which are borderline R18+ at times.

 In terms of production value, Destiny Girls is a mixed bag with Non SSR characters are practically worthless. If Fate/Grand Order sometimes blundered when it comes to their character design which are based on historical figures, Destiny Girls commit even worse atrocities. Basically all the game did are drawing some cute waifu characters and pasted some random historical figure name on them. It really pains me to see Japanese Daimyos turned into beastgirls wearing skimpy outfit but this is what Destiny Girls did.

 But what Destiny Girls did right is that it carves itself a niche by offering a waifu gacha game that does not demand too much times and encourage players to spend in order to unlock sexy live2D illustrations of the Waifu characters. While this game won't stand a chance against AAA Gachas with subpar voiceworks and assets, it works quite fine as a filler game. To be honest i gave this game a try due to being tired being guilt trip by Gacha Games that i have played and it would have been great if FGO had implemented the Idle mechanics from this game instead of forcing players to farm on monotonous stage every day. Personally i don't think Destiny Girls is a good game but it probably did something right if it manage to survive more than a year in the Japan server which even Gachas that use famous IP failed to do.

Golden Kamuy

 Another Great manga that recently finished its serialization and who expects Manga series that had Ainu Culture as its main theme would be such a great ride! A Seinen adventure manga, Golden Kamuy story takes place in 20th Century Japan shortly after Russo Japanese War. A veteran from the war, the main character went to Hokkaido in search of fabled Ainu Gold relying to find a group of Tattoed prisoners as the lead to the fabled gold. In search of the gold, the main character is accompanied with an Ainu Girl for an epic adventure across Meiji era Hokkaido, encountering wide range of characters including some famous Shinsengumi hero and their journey will somehow lead to some big conspiracy which determine the Fate of Imperial Japan and Ainu people.

 As a manga, Golden Kamuy is one of the few that has complete package for its story. This series is more capable to make the readers laugh and cry at times. Props to the mangaka who is capable of making very colorful cast of character especially the Convicts who can exhibit some really interesting behaviors that leads to some great Dark Humor situation. Golden Kamuy's main strength is no doubt lies in its comprehensive depiction of Ainu Culture which is no simple feat for a weekly basis manga that tend to sacrifice quality for quick output, nevertheless by far this is the best manga when it comes to Ainu subject matter.

If i have to point out this series flaw, Golden Kamuy had rather rushed and abrupt end, hinting the possibility of the series getting axed considering plenty of the main characters died in quick succession in the last part of the series while even the secondary convicts took their time for their death. Personally i think the main antagonist Tsurumi is one of the best antagonist out there from recent works and could have delivered something more which won't happen due to unfortunate circumstances. But my main personal gripe would be the location of the Ainu Gold which is rather disappointing. Considering the manga spent most of the chapters narrating the attempts of the protagonists searching for overly elaborate Ainu Gold location hints, only to have the stash located at one of the most famous landmark in Hokkaido. In any case Golden Kamuy managed to wrap up its story properly and i will be looking forward to some Gaiden story related to the series.

Mobile Suit Ensemble EX-40 Dendrobium Gundam

  Gundam Ensemble had been very active on Stardust Memory series and now we are getting the big ticket item! If you have to mention the most iconic mecha it would be the Gigantic mobile armor Dendrobium Gundam and Neue Ziel! After appearing in many forms, at long last these two made appearance in Gundam Ensemble! Slated for September 2022 MS Ensemble EX 40&41 will be released with 14300 Yen price tag. 

Out of non HG choice, Ensemble Dendrobium and Neue Ziel are no doubt the best incarnation of the mecha by far. The details are probably more impressive compared to Converge, SD or the 1/500 scale and it is no slouch when it comes to size either as Ensemble Neue Ziel will stand 20 cm tall, probably twice as large compared to the converge counter part. Some interesting things from these 2 Ensemble EX is that the Dendrobium include the parts to connect Gerbera Tetra to reenact Cima's horrible death scene while Neue Ziel got Anavel's Zaku hidden inside just like Ensemble Apsallus which is very cool gimmick even probably not accurate. Personally i would love to see Ensemble continue 0083 series since we still need rendition for Powered GM and GM Cannon II

Plinius

  Another hidden gem of Historical Manga that is overlooked by me until recently and this one is another high quality work. If you like Thermae Romae, this one will not disappoint because it is made by the same mangaka, Mari Yamazaki who is one of the few Japanese mangaka that had intimate knowledge about Roman civilization.

 Taking place during the middle reign of Emperor Nero, Plinius is essentially a biography manga for Pliny the Elder, one of the leading figure in natural science in his time. Through this character you get to see Rome Empire during its height which is a rarity for this medium. Compared to Thermae Romae or Cestvs series, Plinius strength lies in its wide coverage of Roman Civilization life that only high budget movie or TV series could rival. To me what Plinius did the best is its Depiction of Rome which fleshes out the inherent flaw of the City that caused it dubbed as Sin Cit. The original manga spans over 12 Volumes and so far only 4 Volumes are translated, but hopefully the translation will catch up someday just like Thermae Romae. Seriously Mari Yamazaki is another top tier mangaka who is worth following because she is another mangaka that i can think of apart from Urasawa who follows the path of Osamu Tezuka.

Persona 3 Nendoroid 1863 Makoto Yuki

  Things finally come into full circle for Persona series in Nendoroid lineup! took compared to Figma, but Persona 3 Protagonist Makoto Yuki made it as the last Modern Persona series Nendoroid. Nendoroid Makoto Yuki is scheduled for October 2022 release with 6100 Price tag, slightly more expensive compared to his compatriots probably due to weakening Japanese Yen.

Nendoroid Makoto Yuki accesories pretty much mirror the Figma counterpart with an extra Tarot Card and it is kinda lackluster for its price. Seeing the recent movement on Shin Megami Tensei series i think it is a good moment to re-release HD version of Persona 3 to follow up SMT 3 which got Figma Hitoshura recently as well. I think Nendoroid Makoto Yuki could use a companion like Thanatos or Elizabeth to accompany him for an extra selling point for this personal favorite Persona Protagonist of mine.

Kurogane no Linebarrel RIOBOT EX Linebarrel

 I think it has been more than a decade since we got something from Kurogane no Linebarrel series and Sentinel planning to release one heavy duty stuff for one of the better modern mecha series. There have been plenty iterations of Linebarrel before but Sentinel goes big and released the Heavy Armor variant of Linebarrel dubbed EX Linebarrel. Scheduled for May 2023 release, Riobot EX Linebarrel is going to be sold for whopping 50000 Yen which is as expensive as Sol Gravion.

I didn't noticed this version of Linebarrel except that it is apparently the Ultimate Version of Linebarrel exceeding Linebarrel Overdrive. From Its Aesthetics, Linebarrel EX is a heavy melee unit equipped with tons of Blades to the point of overkill and Vardant still have better extent of agility compared to this version of Linebarrel. As expected from Sentinel, Riobot EX Linebarrel is unreachable for regular collector yet again. It is highly likely that GSC will release some moderoid for this series at some point but i personally prefer if they can make some action figure for this underrated Mecha series.
 

Sengoku Komachi Kuroutan

 Oda Nobunaga always make popular choice as Sengoku Period manga and this rather new entry took an isekai spin on it. If you have been following Nobunaga no Chef, you will find right at home with Sengoku Komachi Kuroutan! The manga premise is about a Highschool girl from Agricultural school who somehow find herself stranded in Sengoku Period and in a strange turns of event ended up serving Oda Nobunaga. Using her knowledge from modern world, the heroine attempts to make a better place for the populace she is in charge of while at the same time strengthen the dominion of Oda Clan with her inventions. Unlike most Sengoku period manga, Sengoku Komachi doesn't shy away from alternate take of this rather colorful period of Japan history. 

 I think the primary goal of this manga is to showcase how Oda Nobunaga reacts with modern technology to the extent that are even very hard to swallow for people of the period. Simply to say Nobunaga is portrayed to have excellent adaptability and make good use of these novelties which is the way the manga justify how this particular Daimyo to be the most influential person in his period. The main heroine herself is quite likeable as she is not milksop and had a good sense of reality which majority of isekai theme protagonist lacks most of the time. At this time Sengoku Komachi is still far from being concluded but its potential is good enough for me to keep a close tab on it.

The GATTAI Mugen Gattai Gurren Lagann

  A surprising entry for Guren Lagann but a welcome one nonetheless! Recently there have been some movement for Guren Lagann series indicating something will be up for the series once again. Sentinel did their part with Riobot Guren Lagann costing whopping 32000 yen and then GSC followed up with Mugen Gattai Guren Lagann which appear to be better bargain. Scheduled for November release with 24900 Yen price tag, Mugen Gattai Guren Lagann feature 8 Ganmen robots including Guren Lagann that has awesome gimmick of combining into one Giant Robot.

At one glance Mugen Gattai Guren Lagann reminds me of Bandai's particular combiner robot from Doraemon and Disney series, serving as better application of the concept. In terms of design this version of Guren Lagann are somewhere in between Guren Lagann and Arc Guren Lagann. As long as Guren Lagann unit articulation is good enough, Mugen Gattai will be a valuable collectible for the fans considering Sentinel's pricing are pretty much unaffordable except for High-end dedicated collectors. I am quite sure Bandai will have something in response for this move by GSC since their last contribution for the series were SRC and NXEdge.

Arknights Nendoroid 1859 Saga

 A strange choice for the next Arknights Nendoroid release, but against all odds the Higashi Perro Vanguard operator Saga got her Nendoroid treatment way before other top Arknights waifu candidate. Scheduled for October 2022 release, Nendoroid Saga will be sold for 6800 Yen.

 As usual Arknights Nendoroid fall on slightly more expensive price range probably due to licensing fees that Hypergryph demand and Saga's accessories is rather lacking for its worth. Nendoroid Saga comes with her Naginata and bowl of Natto Gohan as her accesories as well as her ecstatic face expression which is typical of a Perro race. Saga made her appearance in Arknights 1.5th anniversary being the featured 6* Operator along with Dusk. Saga played a minor role in Dusk's storyline being another outsider apart from Rhodes Island operators who are stranded in Dusk's painting world. This is the exact reason why Saga is a strange choice for GSC to release its Nendoroid first because Arknights still have other plenty 6* Operators to work with such as Skadi, Angelina, Bagpipe or Nian but in any case the doggo operator got lucky somehow.

 In terms of gameplay, Saga is a low cost Vanguard operator with solid DP generating ability and good offensive capability. With her S3, Saga realy shines when deployed in intersection tiles as she is capable of dealing spammable AOE damage in 4 directions which works well against grunt unit swarms. The only downside is that she will constantly spam gibberish lines related to food when activating the skill due to airheaded nature of Perro race. Anyway, Saga's Nendoroid is easy skip for me since i am still waiting for Skadi which is due for a long time already.