Random Update: Devil Survivor 2 + My New Nendoroids



So today is the day I have waited quite some time for; The release of Devil Survivor 2. The sad part is I probably won't have much time to really sink some solid hours into the game until the weekend. To add on to the awesome-ness, I finally got my slippery slope Madoka petite nendoroids too.

Mirai Nikki Eps 18-20 Jam-Packed-Awesomeness!

Epic win.
Holy crap did ep 20 ever renew my faith in this show. I found episodes 18-19 to be very rushed and at a loss for the steady flow that Mirai Nikki has held throughout its season.

Wonder how it smells?
Episode 18 was really two episodes crammed into one, forcing all of the juicy important info into a compact burst, which flew right over my head. I was shocked with how Yuno was treated, but also I find myself giving sympathy for the poor girl.


The confrontation and resolve of Yukkii and his father was rushed in a way that makes me wish I didn't even watch it. I was very intrigued at how Yukkii's father would intertwine with the diary holders, but instead they ruin a perfect opportunity to bring one more delicate situation to Yukkii's life.

Episode 19 was fairly interesting, but it made the mistake of assuming that the previous episode was good enough to tell us how Yukki has changed. I found it hard to follow with what was happening between the remaining diary holders. Yukkii has apparently become hardened by everything that has happened so far, we have seen a steady transformation of Yukkii over the season but episode 19 takes a huge leap in Yukkii's progress to this hardened state. Yuno has returned to her usual self, but it was done through Yukkii's hardening so it is less confusing to try and understand her, since she has been a psycho love nut the entire season.


Episode 20, this was awesome, and there was no Yukkii or Yuno at all. One thing I will give this show credit for is their ability to give us a break whenever Yukkii and Yuno become too much, or change too much.

Uryuu makes a triumphant return as the terrorist. One thing I just noticed is how her diary only lets her escape, thus her all-out crazy explosive attacks are pure skill. After seeing the gym teacher scene and nurse scene of her, I was really unhappy that she was reduced to nothing more than an assistant character rather than taking matters into her own deadly hands. Uryuu gets a lot of screen time with her infiltration of Eleventh's territory and we see an actual soft side to her when Nishijima proposes to her.

A new outfit is nice, and look how calm she is during the massacre.
Aside from setting up what will be an even more action packed episode for next week, we learn the truth behind Eleventh's diary and his surprising connection to Deus.Upon hearing that Deus was working with Eleventh before the game to make these diaries just blew my mind, we haven't seen such a unique twist like this at all during the show, but it definitely puts a spin on things.

 I really don't know what to think about Yukkii, I loved the show for its contrast and the events between Yukkii and Yuno, but now they are partners in crime and don't contrast all too much anymore now that Yukkii can kill so easily.

~Djr7

Another 08 - Nice Boat


We get our beach episode with our main cast this week, apparently this never happened in the novel and added  in purely for fanservice. It fits in nicely at least, a nice break from all the deaths, or so I thought. Nothing like a fun episode, at least we got some valuable information to keep the story moving forward quickly.

Ano Natsu de Matteru 08 - How to Pass the Test of Courage


I wonder what other things are written in Remon's "Secret Notebook." After basking in the rays on an Okinawan beach, the crew finds themselves back home to work on the editing process of the film. But what kind of summer would it be without a summer festival? Remon continues to troll the cast as well as the audience, revealing that she is much older than she lets believe. Since Tetsurou's sister has another petty argument with her husband, Remon continues to be the catalyst of the show by enlisting her help for the test of courage.


No, not really. At least Pearz doesn't think it looks good. I've never been too fond the trope of girls cutting their hair because they've "changed." If she's trying to grab more of Tetsurou attention by looking a little more like Kanna, I'd tell her that Manly Glasses has already taken more notice of her. Kanna also notices a change in Kai's character. Perhaps realizing that her time is running out, she chooses to make her move this episode. But was she successful? I bet you can already guess.


This section is going to random personal aside, so skip it if you're not interested. You've probably wondered if all the cliches like fish-scooping for Japanese festivals or haunted houses for Cultural festivals are actually true. I can't say anything for Cultural festivals, but I had personal experience with the Bon Festival, which is held in August. Because I literally grew up one block away from the Japanese Buddhist Church in Oakland, I was lucky enough to go to a couple when I was younger. They did, in fact, have bazaars with stalls of food, fish-scooping games, traditional Japanese dancing in kimonos. I actually found a a couple youtube clips, of said festival from 2010. I can even see where I used to live in that clip! Anyway, that's just my random personal experience tangent.


Remon's plan to advance relationships worked with resounding success, for Mio and Tetsurou at least. These two have gotten more and more screen time of them alone together. I think I can safely say they'll get paired together by the end of the show. Unfortunately for Kanna, she gets shafted once again. When Kai ran to Ichika's scream, you can see the heartbreak on her face. She really has no chance.


Cue the emergency beacon that has been foreshadowed since Arisawa's ass plastered Rinon onto the floorboards a couple episodes back. For something that's supposed to rescue her, it's incredibly aggressive. Props to Kai for manning up once again, confessing again, and dying to save the one he loves. Now that's how you pass the test of courage! Except for you know, the dying part.


But never fear, because the super-anti-entropic-heal-everything-luminescent-medicine back from the first episode is here! I wonder if she had to kiss him this time as well. Ichika is extremely apologetic, and rightfully so, because she's the reason he keeps dying. I'm sure the question that has been hanging on a lot people's minds is that whether or not Kai will need Ichika's alien technology to remain healthy and alive. This sets up a rather big revelation because the attempted kidnap by the emergency beacon really let the cat out of the bag. Even Remon seemed a little surprised. What kind of questions will they ask her? Given what I've seen with the characters, they probably just want some explanations, and wouldn't care less about the fact she's an alien. The issue is whether or not she decides to leave. Only 4 more episodes left!

Also, be sure to check out the full ED single called Vidro Moyou by Nagi Yanagi; it's a pretty good song.

-Bern

Aquarion EVOL Ep 8 This is Getting Silly

This isn't logical!
This show started out strong imo, with a serious situation the world was in. The Aquarion, doomed destiny of Mikono, mysterious power of Amata, unknown abductors, and past calamities involving Union with the opposite sex, were all pretty big deals that seemed to have been swept under the carpet to make way for random humor, pointless events to develop characters, and over-the-top silliness.

This guy serves no purpose
Now while I do enjoy Aquarion ALOT, I wish they would start working on giving us some really bad-ass Mecha battles that actually mean something, or some suspenseful events that make me want to care about what is happening with the plot. What IS happening with the plot anyway? We finally find out a pretty lame reason for the abductors abducting people, they just need women to populate their planet because women no longer exist for some reason.


I started thinking he was the last born of some king or bad-ass person that has some sort of power, but it turns out he is just the last born person in their entire world, so really there is nothing special about him.


This show now thrives off its silliness. The random gay comments are funny but I need some hardcore stuff, err that sounds weird now that I think about it. We need more serious events, and by the looks of it Mr. Red hair wolf boy (I should know his name but frankly I couldn't care less) is the only one trying to stir things up between the abductors and Neo-Deava. I really enjoy the awkwardly funny and silly situations Zessica, Amata, and Mikono put themselves in but i'm starting to forget who Cayenne and the other side characters are, since Zessicqa is a side character presented as a main character, and vice-versa with Mikono.

I call him Mr.Awesome
Now this whole episode was about fanservice, and the message they said was, less clothes equals awesomeness! I never thought things would become so over-the-top that they would tell us that having less clothes on means your able to sense everything around you, especially when everything involves our love triangle of Amata, Mikono, and Zessica able to sense missiles around their Aquarias with the less amount of clothes they are wearing.

~Djr7

3DS Update February 2012 Quality Games

I really want a BRS case for my 3DS
It's been a while since my last update but here's some insight to what the 3DS and the Wii have in store for us in the near future.

BUY IT!

Resident Evil Revelations was released a few weeks ago, and while I am still in the first few chapters of the game, it is absolutely amazing, refer to my review found on the site for more details.

Still a damn good game
For any 3DS Ambassadors out there, I recently downloaded my free copy of Fire Emblem The Sacred Stones. If you haven't ever played a Fire Emblem game, I recommend you purchase this when it becomes available in the e Shop at a later date. 

Return of the Arena?
Additionally, Fire Emblem Awakening 3DS was announced with an awesome trailer depicting a mix between anime and cell shading. This will be the thirteenth fire emblem installment and feature a fresh new story since Fire Emblem Path of Radiance (2005). We probably won't see this coming to N.A late 2013 assuming it comes out around early 2013 for Japan. 

SNAAAAAAKE!
Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3DS was recently released and I just realized I need to go and buy it. Still too early for any reviews but expect them to come in the following weeks.

Plenty of hype
Kid Icarus is set to release March 23rd and it appears to be the most hyped game from the 3DS lineup. From what I have seen it will come with a 3DS stand to support hours of play in case your hands get tired. The game looks to take control of street pass and an abundant of online modes taking full advantage of the 3DS's capabilities.

Gunna be awesome
Additionally for the Wii, Xenoblade Chronicles is coming out in April. This game had several nominations for Game of the Year and is one of the few Wii games from third parties that are a necessity for any Wii owner.

Going to be awesome as well

Also, The Last Story, and epic fantasy story driven RPG is coming to N.A. later this summer. Created by one of the guys behind several Final Fantasy games, this game will look to add some flare to the Wii's assortment of superb games. 

That's all for now!

~Djr7

Gundam Age 20 - The Mercy of Plot Armor


Oh god Arisa, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?!?!? This was an interesting episode, we finally get to see the plot armor finally crack a bit. Though, I am kind of confused on the length of this series now. Clearly this will not be ending in 2 cour and I am not sure if I can commit to this for the full 50 episodes they like to do for Gundam series.

Nisemonogatari 07: Arc End~ Araragi x Senjougahara


And so ends the first of the two arcs we got in this series. A series that feels surprisingly short (-.-"). Anyway, I forgot to mention the fact the Araragi did kiss Karen in the last episode. Also, I have forgotten that in ep 12 of Bakemonogatari, Araragi and Senjougahara did kiss after their conversation. But to create a unique and different mood they decided not to show it. Hence, they did the same and didn't show Araragi kissing Karen. Really, its amazing how the director creates these events and puts them together in such a way that works flawlessly together.


We began this episode with what looked like a Mid boss fight between Araragi and Karen. At first I thought that the destruction Karen makes from her moves were caused by the weather-fire bee but apparently not so. She is capable of that destruction purely through her own strength. It was quite shocking to find out that as normal and ordinary Karen is, she is capable of doing some destruction. Yeah sure there are times in the Bakemonogarati series when supernatural powers and such were exhibited but that was only due to the oddity or supernatural being in that event.


Oddly enough, after the Mid boss fight, I was expecting a Last boss fight. But what was I thinking, Kaiki isn't that kind of person. So the fact that they just had a conversational fight was appropriate considering the character types of all three characters. By the end of the battle Kaiki simply leaves the the town. Now having Kaiki just simply leave town was somewhat unwanted, I was expecting some sort punishment to befall Kaiki, you know, just as crime never pays, crime must be punished. So him leaving unscathed was not something I wanted. But then again this is Nisemonogatari, and they made it so Kaiki simply leaving was not as uncalled for and unjust as others series would put it.


Now talking about Kaiki as an enemy, he is the quite the unique kind of enemy in the sense that his goal is small and simple, he wants money. This is coupled with his personality of wanting to stay in the neutral when it is clear that he is the enemy. He twists words and confuses his victims to make it seem like he wasn't totally at fault or not at all at fault, this gives him some room to escape. All this is complemented by this attitude of speaking in a low, uninterested tone. This makes him a character above ordinary characters. Personally however, his character uniqueness isn't that high, he does have a very unique character but in terms of likes, he doesn't have much appeal.


So after Kaiki leaves, Senjougahara seeks Araragis complement. This is where her tsundere side starts and seeks Aararagis comfort while pushing him into a corner and ending up more like how Araragi puts it, a "Sadist" or "Con Man" (I heard him say Sadist but the subtitle wrote Con man so...). But that's not whats interesting, by the end of the scene Senjougahara says these words "So... Be gentle to me tonight"   キタ━━━(゜∀゜)━━━!!!!!   Now going back, they never showed Araragi kissing either Senjougahara or Karen, so we can't expect them to show anything even beyond that. So with Senjougaharas words and the fact that they won't show anything even beyond kissing, this leaves us to simply imagine what the crap happened to them that night. But then the next scene shows Araragi in his house the next morning, so I thought it was nothing. But I like to think something did happen, maybe he just went back to his house after or maybe Senjougahara is inside his room, cause all they showed was him just outside his room right?!


Outside note: Yeah I know this post comes up in a bad date since I post this just before the next episode comes  out. But really I can't find the time to do it in any other day than Saturday, and the next episode comes out Saturday night. Hence I have to wait till next Saturday to write this. Sorry bout that eh? I do try to write this when I can.

OkamiSan~

Last Exile: Fam 17 - Pro Tactics The Anime


They continue down their streak of awesome tactics in this anime. The good news was we saw our first genuine good tactic this episode, but was quickly overshadowed by all the bad ones. All I wanted was to see the Exile ships battle it out, are they really saving that for the final battle? I guess my biggest gripe is still the terrible plot they put together for this show, this just brings shame to the first season.

Symphogear 08 - The Final Calm Before the Storm


Those cellphones look so awkward, I guess I was wrong about the animation quality might be getting better. They moved right back into their crappy budget cutting art styles again. This episode will was clearly intended to be super peachy to start down the trail of gore, bloodshed and general sadness! At least that was what this episode felt like. 4 boring major scenes happened, all of them involved healing and patching things up.

Guilty Crown 18 - Through the Eyes of Inori


So a bit late post due to some stuff. Also check out some new banners we added. Onto the episode, we had a very Inori centric episode, we literally follow her around like she is the main character of the show. This anime is quite clearly closing in on the big finale. I am back to watching this show not for the serious plot, but the humour in how serious they try to be. Ass pulling is always fun and games, you never know what they will do next!

Ano Natsu de Matteru 07 - Snail's Pace


We're slowly but steadily getting near our ending. This show certainly excels at meshing both a mellow feeling and melodrama, thus I hereby coin the term mellowdrama. Every episode, I want to say "Wow, nothing happens!" But, in fact, something significant happens almost every episode, but it just doesn't move the plot along very much. We get much of the same in this week's installment, ranging from on-the-spot confessions to soothing guitar pieces.


Last week, I said that Kinoshita's feelings must be genuine because her reaction to Kai's rejection. Boy, did I read her situation wrong. I guess I took Kai's intuition that something was bothering her too lightly. Though it turns out that I was right about them being written out of the picture this episode. Certainly, it isn't hard to see that Kinoshita and Arisawa are both plot devices to move the stagnant relationships forward, for Kai and Ichika, and Tetsurou and Mio respectively.


This was perhaps my favorite scene in the episode. Mio repeatedly thanks Tetsurou for not exposing her secret (no pun intended), but in Arisawa's aggressive pursuit of her man, she accuses Mio of being a exhibitionist pervert. In response, Mio breaks down divulges her insecurities about her family's "free" at-home practices and how she's happy to have made so many friends. Tetsurou, being the good friend that he is, tells her that she could tell them anything that's on her mind because they're friends. She does just that and declares her love for him right on the spot. Though the confession is still hanging in limbo as of right now, Tetsurou had a rather serious face on when Mio said she didn't need an answer right away. I think Tetsurou will end with Mio over Kanna.


As Arisawa indirectly helps the Tetsurou/Mio relationship move ahead, Kinoshita directly tries to bring Kai and Ichika together. After just blatantly ignoring Kai's confession and helping him study instead a couple of episodes ago, Kinoshita helps her realize that the feelings are indeed mutual. Prior to this episode, I would have said that Ichika is the sole character holding the show back, but she is showing that she can make some moves too. Again, Kai may be a bland protagonist, but you definitely cannot fault him for knowing what he wants and going after it.


Unfortunately for Kanna, Kai and Ichika are getting ever-closer and her hopes are slowly getting dashed. Once again, she is being left out of the loop and stuck being troll fodder for Remon. However, the preview hints that she's going to make her move at the festival next episode. I'm interested in how Kai is going to respond because he already knows she loves him. I also like how they've been dropping hints about the finale for the past two weeks via Rinon and the spaceship. It's only a matter of time before they revisit Kai's spaceship crash injuries. The only prediction I can make for next week is that Tetsurou and Mio get a little closer. Though Kai rejected Kinoshita quite firmly, I think it'll be a different story with Kanna, so I'm not sure what will happen. Until next week~

-Bern

Another 07 - Another one Bites the Dust


Well, that was an interesting episode, it was like they could read my mind! They saw my speculation and shot my ideas out of the water! It is like watching Penguindrum all over again. This is definitely my favourite anime of the season, I just have to avoid the spoilers that are everywhere which is getting increasingly difficult to do. I still love how they found a way to work in an obligatory beach episode in such a serious anime, but that is next weeks post!

Last Exile: Fam 16 - Grand Strategy the Anime


After a 2 week wait from that recap episode, you would think that battle would have been a bit more grand. That seems pretty tiny for a build up of a few episodes. Also, why did they bother doing the recap last episode when Anatory wasn't even part of the battle, what a bunch of trolls. At least the minuscule amounts of battle we got this episode wasn't riddled with terrible tactics... oh wait, it was.

Gundam Age 19 - A new Contender Arrives!



I guess this arc can't be complete if Romary dies, so I guess this girl will be the fall back for Asemu this season. I had no idea she was a she from the OP, I was shocked to see that. It just felt like an introduction episode for the new characters, at least we will be moving back onto the ship setting where battles can erupt at any time. I am still thinking this arc will be much better then the last one, even the gundam looks better this season!

Symphogear 07 - Enter Heavy Arms


Oh ya, new armor time! Finally seeing Tsubasa back in action was nice, especially with the awesome new armor set; I think this is the best set so far. We are finally moving into the final arc with the new enemy introduced. The better animation quality was noticeable, I wonder what happened since those first 6 episodes were pretty terrible.


Aquarion EVOL Ep 6-7 A Bleak Future and Ghosts


Another episode goes by without any large threat being addressed towards the Abductors.

I was sure that Mikono would be kidnapped, but it looks like that will happen at a later date, thanks to Amata's quick actions to save her. Once again Cayenne foresees Mikono and our red haired friend at some sort of black attire wedding, creating a wonderful sense of doom and gloom. I don't really know why Mikono is so fixated with wolf boy, but it does allow Zessica to step into the picture and play around with Amata.

That's deep.
There was quite a substantial amount of Shrade in episode 6. It was enjoyable finding out just how dark a power Shrade possesses. Shrade has been well defined by his actions and his past, showing some humor hidden within his elegant charm. I don't mean to go overboard with Shrade, but he is the only character with a real purpose at this point. While Shrade's powers far outreach Amata's or anyone else's, his body cannot handle this power when commanding Aquarion. Shrade's pupose or goal is to "play Aquarion", risking his own life, he has an interesting take on life itself.


The Chairmen definitely worries about Shrade more than anyone else, I still don't know why such a little girl is the Chairmen of the academy. On the other hand, the second in command Fudo, (I'm hungry for some reason) has this flare to him that makes him stand out from the others, he always has this triumphant look on his face, and every time he shouts "Element Change" I just crack up wit how over the top he is in comparison to all the worrywarts around him.

Your just afraid of the ghosts, why are out this late anyway?
It looks like they are trying really hard to push Zessica into the "other girl" role to rival Mikono for Amata's love. At first I thought it would be dumb to pit Zessica with Mikono, but now that Mikono has her own issues with wolf boy, I am hoping for some side flirting with Zessica. It's nice seeing that every character has some personal issues, and are not just blank souls filling in the roles the show needs. Zessica is actually a fun character and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her outgoing side contrast with little innocent Mikono.

This show is my favorite so far, there's never a dull moment with the characters, but I do find the battles to be quite lackluster.

~Djr7


Guilty Crown 17 - Need a Hand Shu?



Dear Diary, today was the worst day of my life. It started off swell, I finally got up the courage to fire this guy that was just using me but then everything went to shit. All the people I been abusing turned on me, who would have thought? Then super awesome Gai showed up, which was a dream come true to see him alive. I couldn't wait to tell him how hard I am trying to be like him but then he sliced off my arm and stole my powers.Now Inori will probably run back to Gai and everyone hates me too. There is no one left to love me with Gai back in the picture. I think I shouldn't have tried being Gai so hard cause I clearly can't. Sincerly Shu.