Another new Mecha themed Gacha game which is just released on mid of this month and this one gathered quite a bit of fanfare for its debut. Artery Gear is a gacha game made by Devs team that split off from Flashwing which made Final Gear and this game had be around in China for more than a year before it made its appearance on Global server.
Bandai had been very generous for Yuusha series with their minipla lineup and by this time, they have reached made more than half of Yuusha entries. For the next Yuusha Minipla, Bandai decided to make one for Mightgaine from the 4th Yuusha series Brave Express. Super Minipla Mightgaine will be sold for 6300 Yen with October release schedule.
I wonder this decision of Bandai to release SMP Mightgaine is in order to steal a start from The Gattai Mightgaine which is in prototype phase. Usually Minipla tried to accomodate mecha sculpt with gimmick as faithful as possible but it seems Gaine is rather hard to pull of considering he looks chunky in this version. In terms of accessory, SMP Mightgaine doesn't come with many weapons apart from Dorinken which probably reserved for future Mightgaine Minipla like Mightgunner and Mightkaiser. With SMP Mightgaine being released, only J Decker and Goldran being left for Bandai to make a minipla out of them and i think J-Decker is likely to be released first considering it make appearance on recent SRW game.
The Sakura Taisen event collab on Final Gear had been going for 3 Weeks now and with one more week left before the crossover event ends, I think it is the time for me to make some coverage for the Collab Units. Sakura Taisen is easily the best collab event in Final Gear and this event turns out to be rather generous compared to GiTS and Evangelion collab for me. In this Article, i will be sharing my personal experience using the Koubus in this one of the few Mecha Gacha game.
With the recent plan of Persona 3 remaster being leaked out, i think we will be seeing more merchandise from this series which is more than welcome for the series fans like me. So after Makoto Yuki getting a long needed Nendoroid treatment, now it is the turn for the Robot Waifu Aigis getting the Pop Up Parade. Scheduled for October 2022, Pop Up Parade Aigis will be sold for 4800 Yen, typical of the lineup price.
For the Pop Up Parade Aigis is posed in Dynamic combat pose with her finger Gatling Gun portraying the balance of Power and Aesthetics as anti shadow weapon. Not as over the top compared to her Palladion Premium figure, but this one is decent enough for Pop Up Parade lineup considering Fate series suffered worse end compared to this. I think at this rate we are highly likely to see the rest of SEES team making it with this lineup at least the waifus one. Personally i would look forward to Mitsuru's being the best waifu from the Persona 3 cast apart from Elizabeth.
Gun X Sword is one of the decent Mecha series in Early 2000s and would have been a memorable series if not for its weak second cour. The last time we had something related from the series are some Robot Tamashii for two of the mechas and now Moderoid returns with the protagonist mecha Dann of Thursday! Scheduled for December 2022 release, Moderoid Dann of Thursday will be released for 6500 Yen.
Dann of Thursday from Gun X Sword had really some good concept built around it. It is basically one of the Seven elite units tasked to oversee the world which is used by its pilot to huntdown its brethren who went corrupt. Dann of Thursday is good showcase of an Elite Mecha unit which had several arsenals to fulfill its task including self regenerating capability for the Pilot and Mecha apart from being powerful to boot. Compared to the Robot Damashii version, Moderoid Dann of Thursday come with Transformation gimmick which allow it to turn into Swordform, something the former didn't had to bring out affordability. In any case i will look forward GSC whether they are able to release some more Moderoid from the series apart from Volkein.
In Macross Zero, VF-0S is a protoype Valkyrie Fighter Unit for Squad Leader pilot prior to UN Spacy formation. in the OVA this awesome VF design is used by Roy Focker who served as supporting character help Shin Kudo facing Sv-51. We would easily expect VF-0A or VF-0D to be released by Tamashi nation next possibly with Ghost unit add on. I had the Hasegawa VF-0S Armored before and i wouldnt mind to double dip for the Hi-Metal considering Zero was my second favorite series after Macross Plus.
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'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 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 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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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
