Madan no Ou to Vanadis

 Another LN series worth mentioning! Madan no Ou to Vanadis or Magic Bullet King and Battle Princess is another Fantasy series that i have been looking at recently. Up until the current LN translation, i find the series got some potential even though mediocre for now but still definitely much better than the recent fads of Wish Fulfillment or Uber Reincarnations which plagued Japanese fantasy genre with disgusting self pandering works. The Premise of Madan no Ou is a Feudal story telling the fate of a Noble Son intertwined with Seven Girls wielding Great power called Vanadis after a fateful encounter with one of them. Skilled with Archery, the Noble Son wielding mysterious family heirloom bow took a Fire Emblem-esque conquest impressing the Vanadis one by one with his strength and wits and basically gathering a harem for himself.

The reason i believe the series got potential has to do with the lore, depending on how the Author handle the Fluff and unveiling the secrets, Madan no Ou can be a mediocre fantasy manga or a great one. The manga adaptation of the series are quite good so far managing to balance the storytelling and fanservice which i hope will keep go on. The protagonist is not that beta which is rather common for this genre and that's good. But for some reason the main character really remind me with the one of those typical lords from Fire Emblem series since he got quite similar characteristics with them save for wielding Bow as his main. My favorite chapter from the series so far is the amnesia arc since seeing an Ice Queen melts does make a good sight which i hope will get decent treatment with the manga. So if you like harem fantasy title you can give Madan no Ou a read and the LN translation are available over BakaTsuki.

1/8 Al-Azif (Max Factory)

 I have been re-reading Demonbane like last month to remind myself the series awesomeness as a mecha series and at the same time a terrible Lovecraft adaptation. Thus i have been searching Al-Azif figurines to add into my collection and out of several renditions i find Max Factory's to be the best one. The figure was released on 2006 which aged already for today's figurine standard however Max Factory's rendition captures Al-Azif's proportion the best in her gothic lolita form which is why i am putting my attention on this one. Al-Azif or Necronomicon is the main heroine of the Demonbane series, she claims herself to be the strongest Grimoire who looks for a master to fight against Black Lodge until she find Daijuuji Kurou to be her last master and lover. Al-Azif is one of the most memorable Nitroplus heroine for me due to her strong personality and she just makes an awesome duo with Kurou. I still really hope Demonbane will show up to another SRW game since they deserve much more spotlight as an awesome super robot series.

Another Century Episode 2

 Another Century Episode series is always one of my favorite Mecha Simulator games, while not as hardcore as AC series, this is the only game that provide solid crossover mecha action experience. I used to play this game as a teen back in high school but never managed to finish the game unlike ACE 3. Out of 5 entries to the series, most of the fans who had gone through most of the games will agree that the only solid games of the series were 2 and 3. While the first one was riddled with issues as From tried to figure out what works and what doesn't, on ACE 2 they begin to find the working formula to the series. I will try my best trying to give the necessary coverage of the game in this post.

Saint Blaster Get!

Finally i got one of my long sought B-Daman Toys which i used to have years ago but lost them due to stupidity as a kid. At first tempted to get the set for 350 RMB, but in the end got the whole set for 200 RMB on Taobao which is quite reasonable and the kit's condition are not to shabby either. I could have got the Blue and Yellow Bomber's unit easily but it was the White one that's really hard to find and if it is not a complete set, there's not much meaning collecting them. The reason i bothered to collect this vintage stuff is because the kit represented well some of my favorite gimmicks in mecha; Gattai and Openable Cockpit. Since i got the Saint the Blaster, i just need to get the Black Dragon to complete my Saint Dragon set which is no easy task since the cheapest one i saw in Taobao was around 600 but eventually i think i should be able to find one for reasonable price.

Meanwhile i also manage to get the Mystical 4 Symbols version of B-Daman toys similar to Saint Dragon set for 100 RMB but the kit's condition is worse but still workable. Though from my impression it really looks like a villain's mecha and it got Gattai gimmick too! If you are interested to look for B-Daman toys in Taobao try search 弹珠警察 on the website.

Jurassic World

 Just watched the movie and considered i followed the series from the shooting game, thought about sharing some of my opinion about the movie. Frankly speaking Jurassic World got so much potentials with the ideas but in the end got them wasted. I believe Jurassic World got message to tell as well however unlike the first movie, it never goes past half way in this aspect which is why it failed to leave a legacy like the first movie and just become another movie of the year. From what i comprehend about the movie's idea, Jurassic World is about human's greed causing them disregard the nature and at the same time trying to play God to gain further profit which leads to retribution they receive as the consequence of their folly to.

 Indominus Rex supposed to represent this message in the movie but i guess it doesn't do enough carnage to show it, they should have allowed her to eat some of the visitors instead of Pteranadon pecking around and drop some to the pool for Crocodile food. In short Indominus didn't show absolute terror to show "how insignificant human is in this world" just like the CEO guy said in the movie who's probably the best character in Jurassic World. The movie got some decent buildup on the first half of the movie but through the second half, everything just go flat. Apart some of the characters most of the cast in the movie are quite forgettable, even the brats aren't annoying enough. I don't know whether it is the curse of the series but none of the sequels have managed to surpass the first movie at all. Jurassic World tried to surpass the high bar that Jurassic park had set for decades already but failed to accomplish it in the end even with much more sophisticated special effects because it goes half-hearted to deliver the message. I still hope the next movie could do better.

My Top 5 Capcom Beat'em Ups

 For some reason i just feel like to write down the topic about this, Capcom in early 90s made lots of quality Arcade Games but i remembered them most for their Beat'em ups. They made lots of Quality titles on this genre which establish themselves as one of the dominant Game Devs at that time. This is my top 5 favorite beat'em ups out of dozens of choice based on my personal choice which is definitely subjective so you does not need to agree with my list.

Ad Astra

 Another Promising historical manga here covering one of the most famous war in the Ancient Period, Second Punic War. That war is never complete without Scipio and Hannibal and the manga so far did a good job of portraying them though so far they are quite a bishies. I think what makes this manga appeals for me is that the liberty that the author to fill the dots of the 2nd Punic war yet still able to make it believable. The author also did a respectable job of portraying that there is more factors than the battle itself that affects the outcome of the war for instance the Romans lost badly in the beginning as their leaders were motivated out of self interest and Hannibal did a good job of making use of it. So far the manga had cover up to the famous battle of Cannae which was Hannibal's greatest legacy and the translators should be able to catch up eventually. I am curious how the Author will be able to handle the story after the highest point of the 2nd Punic War which should put his skill into a test. Personally i think why Carthage lost in the end even though they got Hannibal is because they were not as unified as Romans who were bunch of loose ends at first but unified due to Hannibal ironically. Personally i think Ad Astra should be on par with Historie and definitely make a good read for those History buff out there

Farewell Cthuko...

A short post dedicated in Condolences for Miyu Matsuki who recently just passed away after long-fought battle with Pneumonia. You shall be missed by you fans and for me your role as Cthuko was great one. Even though i never like Nyaruko as a series, you make the series Hilarious with your attempts to make Nyaruko and Shonen your lover. Good Night Sweet Princess.

Hanachirasu

 I think this is one of the most random VN i have read so far and probably my least favorite out of Nitroplus VN so far. Just like Kikokugai, Hanachirasu is VN with plenty of violent actions revolving around Japanese swordplay. However in the end the VN didn't make any lasting impact for some reason as everything falls flat in the end. I still don't really get what kind of message that Hanachirasu tried to convey or perhaps there was none in the first place but it does have some shock value. In some way Hanachirasu is kinda like reverse Kikokugai just that it is bit more nihilistic.

Max Factory 1/7 Kotona Elegance

 While Zoids Genesis is rather disappointing at very least it got pretty good eye candies like Kotona and Reimi. Out of the two characters Kotona obvious got more figure treatment due to her voluptuous body and Max Factory created one of the best rendition for her on 1/7 scale. The figure posing on the chair is probably based on the illustration given by the famous artist Tony Taka on his doujin. In Zoids Genesis, Kotona Elegance is a zoids pilot from mysterious tribe that protects a great secret. She is very skilled in Assassination and carries lots of hidden weapons so she is kinda like Femme Fatale version of Fiona from Chaotic century. Kotona pilots bird type zoid called Rainbow Jerk which is specialised in Recon and aerial combat thus not as powerful as Ryuji's  Murasame Liger. Probably Kotona harbors some feeling to Ryuji which make her shota but probably she will let Reimi take Ryuji due to their sisterly relationship. Kotona is one of the more attractive female design out there though it was kinda a waste that she was used on kids series like Genesis.

Saya no Uta

"Fuminori.. to you, who loved me... i give.. this planet"- Saya

 I think this is my third time reading this Stellar Nitroplus works and still gives me the same chill just like the first time i read this VN which was before this blog was up. I should have covered about this VN years ago but will do it this time given the opportunity. Saya no Uta is a very short VN but the it is undisputedly masterpiece with its twisted yet beautiful story . The story borrow on Lovecraftian theme to take on love story of a man who finds himself in love a mysterious girl called Saya after having his perception distorted into hellish vision and Saya was the only normal looking person to him. The story pretty much focus on the relationship between Saya and Fuminori as they only find solace with each other being the outsider of the world and their journey to find some semblance of peace. The love that Saya and Fuminori shared may look twisted yet it is pure at its core which is why the VN is quite popular in Japan.

 As i become more familiar with Lovecraftian Horror being exposed to some of his works and some RPGs and Boardgames, i grew to appreciate Saya no Uta even more than in the past. You don't need to borrow the name of Cthulhu or other Eldritch gods to make a good Lovecraftian Horror and Saya no Uta is a testament to that. The VN portrayed the core value of HP Lovecraft works; "the sense of Human's powerlessness against Enigmatic Cosmic Entities" and "the truth that leads to Insanity" perfectly and even make it blended really well with beautiful love story which is rather rare feat for Japanese Work. Saya no Uta is easily one of Nitroplus Best work and you will miss a great deal of good stuff not reading this VN. I think Saya no Uta story would make decent Custom Call of Cthulhu campaign or Unique Rumor for Eldritch Horror since it adapts Lovecraftian element well. Also if you want a good Lovecraftian Japanese work go for Saya no Uta and not Demonbane or Nyaruko. I wished Saya had a Nendoroid since she is one of the Nitroplus chara that deserve one the most.

We Love Katamari

 Katamari series is one of the most original stuff i have seen in gaming world in my opinion and playing the game is just another whole different experience. Since i get PCSX2 running again obvious i give the series a try again from the original platform and play the 2nd Title of the series; We love Katamari. My first Katamari was the Me and My Katamari which is on PSP and made me instantly fall in love with the series. We love Katamari was kinda different than i expected, while i though it has bigger scale Levels, turns out it is not but at least you get to roll the Sun in this game! 

 Rolling things to oblivion surely lighten up your mood for some reason and Katamari is one of the better choice to unwind things from a bad day. Music plays really important part in Katamari since they contribute to the game that makes the experience of playing Katamari become such an Acid trip and We Love Katamari got some of the best song of the series. While the newer titles of the Katamari were disappointing especially the Vita one, at very least the PS2 Generation ones are undisputedly good games and doesn't really age.

DXF Monster Hunter Male Hunter Lagiacrus X Review

As Promised i am taking some shots for DXF Lagiacrus X,  I never expected Banpresto had a production line for figurine until i got this Lagiacrus X figurine. Impression wise it seems that DXF lineup appear to be big ticket ufo catcher price but the sculpt is still quite good for the caliber. I got the Lagiacrus X and its matching Gunlance for 200 RMB which is abit expensive that i should have spent. But i would expect the price turns to be the same if i ordered it from Japan anyway.

Zoids Genesis

 Another backlog cleared from my constantly piling anime stash and glad finished the Series. Overall Zoids Genesis as kids anime is decent enough but as your regular stuff it is much left to be desired. The overall plot formula is based on previous Chaotic Century it is just that there are lack of the variations. The Dilga empire Zoids are really plain compared to Zenebas Empire as they only get 4 or 5 variants in the show which are basically more boring counterpart of Empire's Zoids. Even the  Zoids designs from protagonist that i find cool are only Murasame Liger and Sword Wolf. The sole redeeming point of Genesis for me is that it got good eyecandy Re Mii and Kotona and it is up to your preference to pick one. Worst part of the series is that the doesn't even get proper closure, i wished Tomy would have bothered to show the aftermath of the finale at very least.

 I think Genesis was intended to reboot the interest of the Zoids series through anime but i guess it failed at that considering Genesis was kinda in the part of twilight of 50 Episode anime shows that are used to promote toys as we don't see this type much anymore by mid 2000s. While the series is lackluster i would be happy to watch the series if i was a kid. If you are interested with Zoids series you can play Zoids Legacy game in GBA which is really fun but if you want Genesis stuff you can check SRW K and Zoids DS which are unfortunately still in Japanese. Lastly out of the two girls from Genesis, which one you prefer? Re Mii or Kotona?

Another batch of loots here!

I think i have spent abit too much over the Chinese golden week early this month getting rare stuffs from Taobao yet again. I spend almost 1000 RMB getting some MH and Persona stuffs as well as a Muvluv Kit. Overall i still get these items slightly cheaper than the official japanese price and some i might spend abit much but still in the end turns to be cheaper than getting them shipped from Japan because domestic shipping in China is really cheap.

For the loots this time i got CFB Rajang with DXF Lagiacrus X which makes decent pair then D-Arts Elizabeth and Thanatos from Persona which is Asian copy distributed by Bandai Hongkong which the sculpt looks legit enough which is acceptable for me since it is kinda hard to find the Japanese copy of the figurine without breaking a leg. I will definitely get P3 Protagonist Figma and i would imagine the chinese "Official" Good Smile Company would stock up one eventually. Lastly i also get Type-00C Takemikazuchi and i got it for around 250 RMB which is like 5000 Yen which is still reasonable enough and definitely will have it painted one day.

I won't be reviewing any of them anytime soon like my previous loots since i don't have the proper props at my current place but probably i will take some shots for the Lagiacrus X in few days.