February 2023 Loot

  I think this month is one of my most active period over past few years, and to close it off here is my haul for February 2023. Another big catch since my long due 52Toys and Goodsmile preorder finally arrived. Fistly got myself some Rozen Maiden Pop Up Parade as my way to get back in touch with this series and also some Genshin Acrylics which are quite cheap for the character rarity. Obviously the biggest catch of this loot is The Gattai Guren Lagann which is definitely the right choice for me over CCS Toys option. I am not really into FGO anymore since I am already very fed up with the game but i will still support the series a little bit even though i think Typemoon deserve to be bankrupt for making FGO so stagnant. Lastly I am happy that my Nendoroid Skadi finally arrive and I don't think even think that Slyhe soyboy is willing to buy this one.

Ragna Crimson

 

 An interesting fantasy manga that I read recently which have some potential yet glaring flaw at the same time. Ragna Crimson is a story of a Dragon Slayer who started as untalented individual who becomes suddenly powerful after his future self transfer his special power in order to prevent the same tragedy from happening again. In this setting the Dragons are actively destroying humanity but possess peculiar weakness against sunlight and Ice magic weapon. At the first glance, Ragna Crimson remind me of Ubel Blatt but in terms of presentation style it is inspired after the popular Chainsawman series.

 As an action manga, Ragna Crimson is quite good one but it appears lacking in proper direction after a good start evidently by mixing Sci-fi and High Fantasy genre. The manga tone also lacking in consistency by quickly shifting between grimdark and at times downright silly yet somehow didn't utilize the momentum to the fullest like Chainsawman did with the body counts. Ragna Crimson did have some good main characters especially the Silverware princess which hopefully have her ship sailing with the main protagonist. 

 So far Ragna Crimson manga ended in somewhat high note with the first arc, but the mangaka need to have a proper vision for the series or else it will just end up as wasted potential and remembered as discount Chainsawman. Perhaps the upcoming anime adaptation could bring the hype up for this series.

Bofuri

 I am not sure why Japanese have unhealthy obsession toward Fantasy series that have overpowered main protagonist, is it the life in their society make this kind of Garbage so appealing as coping mechanism or something else. Anyway this series called Bofuri is another of those hot garbage aggresively promoted by Kadokawa and my curiosity got the better out of me since this series happened to get tons of prize figures during my time in Hobby Toys industry. Bofuri is a Fantasy MMORPG themed anime where the Casual gamer high school girl protagonist heroine got ridiculously overpowered by maxing her defensive stats to the point of beating top players of her game with relatively minimum effort.

Ever since I got into anime more than a decade ago, I have always enjoyed a good high fantasy anime and Bofuri is the extreme polar opposite of this ideal. Bofuri essentially lack proper immersion and worldbuilding and the essence of the series is stripped to the core to cater for masses. This series is effectively a moeshit anime dressed in Fantasy series for maximum isekai appeal. As expected by Kadokawa, Bofuri got really pretty makeover treatment but it is fundamentally bad to have any staying power for long term even if the anime got second season. There is no enjoyment from a Fantasy where a clueless main protagonist get to be a munchkin without any effort and have OP stuff handed on a platter for her. Maybe I will give Log Horizon a try to wash this bad aftertaste

Jinrouki Winvurga

 One of the most R18 Mecha yet underrated manga that I have read so far but it is still a good read since the mangaka did something right. Jinrouki Winvurga is a mecha series that looks something from the union of Vandread and Cross Ange with slight influence of Zoids and Godannar then poured tons of X-Rated stuff mainly sex-related. Winvurga is a seinen manga for a good reason because it is flooded with tons of H-fanservice mainly Raep and Ryona related stuff which I won't disclose much in this post. The story is typical JRPG story where the protagonist rise against evil empire with their special power, For Winvurga the female heroine got Zoid Wolf mecha that can transform into humanoid form, but that doesn't prevent her to be stripped naked and humiliated from time to time.

Personally I find Winvurga would have fared just fine without the R-18 stuff but to be honest the artwork quality of this manga was cut above its peers because the mangaka, Shirou Tsunashima is the artist behind Baldr Sky and Jinki series thus have rare talent of drawing mecha and sexy girls. But be warned this manga does not hold back in its R18 stuff which have tons of female humiliation. In any case Jinrouki Winvurga is a proper mecha manga despite the R-18 baggage and I hope the manga could have some proper conclusion instead of hiatus. At some point probably I will visit Jinki:Extend and Baldr Sky to see the extent of Shirou Tsunashima works. By the way in Winvurga, there is one of the female supporting characters named Gloria Louise that bears close resemblance with Lancer Artoria.

Legend of Galactic Heroes - Die Neue These Interlude

 It has been 4 years since the last time I watched IG Production's take on Legend of Galactic Heroes dubbed Die Neue These or "The New Thesis". To be honest DNT had rather underwhelming beginning for the series fans who watched the OVA and doomed not to be able to surpass the former. However it is very commendable for IG Production to be undaunted by their shortcomings and keep continuing their effort and commitement for this Legendary series, in fact they have made it to the 4th season is a feat that is very praiseworthy in the present anime industry. In this Blog post I will discuss some of the reasons why Die Neue These doesn't seem appear to be capable of reaching the level of the OVA's Legacy 

Rozen Maiden Nendoroid 1788 Hina Ichigo

 The ball is started to get rolling for Rozen Maiden! Being forgotten for quite a long time, Hina Ichigo finally get her Nendoroid. Scheduled for August 2023 release, Nendoroid Hina Ichigo will be sold for 6800 yen.

Among her Rozen Maiden siblings, Hina Ichigo behaves the most childish and playful one. Being the second Rozen Maiden to make appearance in the anime, she unfortunately jobbing way too early being the first Rozen Maiden to be defeated in Alice game in Jun's era thus stuck into minor role throughout the series. It appeared to me that Peach Pit at the time had no idea what kind of ideal role to assign for Hina Ichigo thus she end up being sacrificial lamb for the series. With Kirakishou being announced for future Nendoroid release, Kanaria is the only one left to join Nendoroid series. But as always i will still wait for Nendoroid Dolls instead.

SRW OG Flame Toys [Kuro Karakuri] Alteisen

  A Surprise Toy for SRW OG but this one is too expensive... . A few days ago there are some teasers about Flame Toys making Alteisen Diecast Toy which soon revealed in Winter Wonderfest last weekend along with Weissritter Prototype. This version of Alteisen will be released in September 2023 with whopping 43780 Yen Price tag. For the price of 8 Pcs of Kotobukiya 1/100 Alteisen, you will get a 1/100 Diecast Alteisen that comes with Shishiou Blade and Autocannon Bandolier as accessories.

 The first time I knew Flame Toys is from its product for Transformers Drift which caught my attention with its very cool and heroic design. I don't know if hefty Price Tag is due to licensing cut but my thought of double dipping this version of Alteisen is instantly gone when I see it cost over 40k Yen. In the end i will stick with my Kotobukiya 1/100 Alteisen as I don't think the product will give much higher satisfaction compared to the former. I would imagine Flame Toys Weissritter will cost the same but I might still get one if it is able to be sold below 30k Yen. In the end due to the expensive price tag, I will skip this good looking version of Alteisen and wait for CCS Cybuster which hopefully more affordable.

Devilman Crybaby

  A reboot of the classic popular series but this one is not necessarily better. I have read Devilman manga before and it was one of the series that helped Go Nagai sensei rise to fame. To be honest I find the series to be depressing to get into thus never really get into the series despite it had plenty of sequel. Devilman Crybaby is essentially Devilman given modern makeover like settings and character design. The story remains practically almost the same where one day the main protagonist gained the power of a Devil which eventually leading to tragedies upon tragedies until the World's accelerated doom and his love interest died a horrible death.

 At first i thought Devilman Crybaby could have less depressing ending but it is not Devilman series unfortunately without having everyone around protagonist dying horribly. What catches my attention from Devilman Crybaby is the kickass modern version of Devilman no Uta and occasional R18 Fanservice and Gorefest which could get the series mistaken for Berserk. Other than that Devilman Crybaby is just some casual version of old classic that is more accessible to watch on spare time.

Rozen Maiden Pop Up Parade Shinku

  A Combo breaker for the recent strings of Anime posts! this particular item had been released back in 2021 before but i think it is worth discussing as my memory is still fresh from my Rozen Maiden Anime marathon. Just like other entries for the lineup, Pop Up Parade Shinku is sold for 3900 Yen and released in October 2021. After a long drought of Merchandise for Rozen Maiden, in 2021 GSC decided to release merchandises for this once popular Gothic Lolita series again starting with this Shinku Figure. Up until now the series got some steady stream of merchandises by GSC in Pop Up Parade and Nendoroid reruns which respectively cover 4 out of 7 Rozen maidens, time will tell if Hina Ichigo, Kanaria and Kirakishou will get their share of merchandise.

 To be honest Shinku's Pop Up Parade eludes my attention at the beginning because the Sculptor used 2013 version of Shinku which looks very generic compared to Studio Nomad version for Season 1 and Traumend. Maybe the 2013 version is more faithful to Peach Pit manga depiction, but I think most of the Rozen Maiden fans were more familiar with Nomad's version of Shinku which capable of putting a Innocent yet very strong expression like this DVD Boxart shown. 

Speaking of 2013 Version, I think the anime didn't leave as strong impression compared to Rozen Maiden's first two season for several reasons. For one the artstyle deviate slightly far from what older fans accustomed to, then the screentime of the Rozen Maidens are way off balance as fan favorite Suiseiseki barely make any appearance and finally the 2013 Anime didn't able to wrap up Rozen Maiden's storyline considering the Manga only finished the serialization later in 2014. I am very well aware that by 2010 onward Japanese anime industry are having difficulties in financing series that didn't have major following from the masses. However I still wish Rozen Maiden will someday get the proper animation to wrap up its storyline  even if I feel that the Storyline is mediocre but nevertheless the Doll Maidens of Rozen deserve a proper sendoff.

Hi Score Girl

 

A treat for Older anime fans especially those who grew up in Arcade Gaming era like myself. I binged the anime and the manga in 2 days myself and it turns out to be rather enjoyable work that brings sense of nostalgia of childhood for people growing up in 90s. Through romcom comedy between a Kazuma clone and Genius Ojou sama, Hi Score Girl explores the scene of Japanese Arcade Gaming in early 90s era through several popular arcade games of its time, in particular Street Fighter 2.

 The Mangaka obviously cover the Arcade game that he played alot during his youth which is around 1989 to 1995 and i think he played Fighting game quite a lot. Unfortunately the manga doesn't cover late 90s Arcade which I grew up with which is a bummer since there were plenty of good Arcade games like Metal Slug, KOF98 or Shadow Over Mystara right before the twilight of the era. In any case i still enjoy the tidbits from the fighting game scene of the era despite i am more of a Beat em player myself.

 Hi Score Girl will be a rather mediocre experience if you don't grow up in Arcade Gaming era. But having gaming character like Guile or Zangief  as spiritual friend would be very fun and it is one of the main source of entertainment for the anime. As much as i would like to see a sequel, the series won't be the same since the passion of the mangaka lies in early 90s era only. Who knows other mangaka could produce similar works like Hi Score Girl that covered other era someday.

Metropolis

  Another Anime backlog finished and this one is Osamu Tezuka's sensei works adaptation in early 2000s. Never thought the legendary mangaka made one of the earliest Cyberpunk anime out there. Started with Boy meet Girl trope, Metropolis is an apocryphal story of a Megacity where Humanity and Robot lived together in uneasy coexistence which subsequently fall in a single night due to the Hubris of its ruler. Overall Metropolis has very impressive Visual which are reminiscent of Ghibli animations and very eye-pleasing even up to present's standard, considering Japan was still thriving in early 2000s and had the budget to pull it off. However Metropolis ultimately fell short in story department to leave a lasting impression of Osamu Tezuka's legacy for younger audience. Nevertheless it is still a good movie to watch with your family members.

 Despite its flaws, Metropolis able to convey a good and at time prophetic moral lesson that is still relevant up to this day, which are special trait from Tezuka Sensei's whose works are rich in spirituality. If you like Matrix series, Metropolis provides the missing piece to bridge the gap of the lore. Considering in the present we are living in a world where AI begin is getting more prevalence in modern society, one should take a precaution with this technology. As AI technology will eventually create too much social disparity between the Haves and Have nots despite the technology is benign at its nature. At some point due to the hubris of the Elite fews, they will create some kind of Super AI that will be beyond their control and destroy human society in Skynet manner from Terminator series. 

  Metropolis also convey the importance of maintaining one's humanity in order to prevent this kind of catastrophe from happening as the Boy Protagonist kindness toward the female heroine is the main reason that the worst destruction was averted. The movie also portrays that the revolution by the masses will be ill-fated most of the time and end up to be used by the elites for their own gain. 

 At the end of the day one should try to be more familiar with Dystopian Cyberpunk works like Matrix in order to fully appreciate Metropolis. Because the movie does not convey what it tries to tell in exact direct manner. But If you are just general anime viewer, you will still get something out of this movie.

Rozen Maiden

  One of the Early 2000s classic series that finally get to watch after some procrastination over two years. Rozen Maiden is perhaps one of those anime that come out of the Gothic Lolita fashion craze during its era and the anime is still very enjoyable watch. Back when I was in high school i did watch an OVA of the series that covers Shinku and Suigintou prologue story. But I am really glad that I get to watch Rozen Maiden main series even if it is almost 20 years since the first season airing.

 Rozen Maidens are group of Sentient Gothic Lolita Dolls that possess magical power and wields them to fight in a battle royale called Alice Game in order to be the most important doll for their creator. The main series tells the story about Rozen Maiden named Shinku and her encounter with a middle school shut in boy. The series formula is pretty much a Mahou Shoujo slice of life which could work just fine if it wish to be more action packed. To be honest after watching all available Rozen Maiden anime series, I would say the creator team Peach Pit at the time didn't have clear direction for the world building despite manage to craft one of their best character designs thus the stage that these lovely Rozen Maidens did not allow them to shine as bright as they could.

 What Rozen Maiden particularly excel is at portraying an aspect of Timeless peerless beauty manifesting in the form of Rozen Maiden Dolls. The designs of the Rozen Maidens are superb enough that they are still pleasant and memorable to look at Shinku and Suigintou is easily the postergirl of Gothic Lolita genre considering they did the heavy lifting for their series. My personal favorite would be Suiseiseki which easily captivate the heart of Audience with her Desu antics but Shinku's innocent yet strong gaze in her promotional art really evokes quite a powerful emotion. To be honest Rozen Maiden could use more merchandise, GSC should consider releasing Nendoroid Dolls for this Series as these Gothic Lolita dolls make good use of the lineup's potential. With 1st Season done I will look forward to savor Rozen Maiden more slowly compared to Jigoku Shojo

The Eminence in Shadow

 

 Another interesting Isekai manga that I encountered in the same fashion with Mobuseka and binged it in a single reading yet again. Eminence in Shadow has your typical Isekai trope where the protagonist is ridiculously overpowered and the protagonist in this one wield Fashioned himself similar to Persona 5 Joker, and lead a Chuuni adventure with Waifu squads for a crusade against demonic cult.

 In a way, Eminence of Shadow is quite similar to Overlord where the protagonist is the leader of powerful organization who have underlings sworn absolute loyalty and often overawed the protagonists actions. And this series can be considered a "lite" version of the latter with the protagonist allies full of waifus and plenty of chuunibyou behavior to cater better for teenage audience.

 Overall Eminence in Shadow is an entertaining read but shared the same flaws of typical Isekai of Shallow Worldbuilding to be taken seriously. The series got some good waifus but the Author haven't make use of their full potential so far in the manga with rather lacking romcom moment with the protagonists. In any case this series is decent enough to attract attention of older adult audiences like me with its entertainment value.