I'm back

Well, after an over a year long hiatus I'm finally back.

I was planning to make a comeback in May 11th, to make it exactly one year break, but I'm quite busy and didn't have the time until now.

To tell the truth, my otaku culture motivation is still a lot less compared when I first began this blog, and nowhere as much as it was in my consumerism peak (in the early to mid 2000's). Compared with myself 10 years ago, now I hardly watch anime (one series per season at most), almost stopped to purchase manga at all (when once I was following over 20 titles monthly), and the time I spent in videogames became less than 10 hour per week. The global economical situation doesn't help either, and the time when an euro was 170 yen was long ago...

Perhaps I must be growing too old for this, but that doesn't means that I no longer have stuff to show in this blog! In fact, the list is too large that I'm sure I'll be missing things.

I'll try to sort it by genres, the fist being:

VIDEOGAMES

The games I purchased since my last update, 15 in total.

For PC, the English version of  Saya no Uta published by Jast USA. Is my favorite VN and I was planning my purchase back when I was living in Japan but was too expensive for such a short game. I decided to buy it in English when was first announced to support western publishers when they release quality titles... they only took 2 years for an already translated and short VN...

For PS2, the regular edition of Melty Blood Actress Again. I purchased the limited edition years ago, but because the regular edition had another cover it was on my wishlist for a while.

For XBox 360, Muv-Luv Twin Pack. I was planning to purchase the PS3 release of Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative, but then I found the XBox pack with the same price for ONE of the PS3 games and includes a Figma Kagami Sumika as well. And since my XBox is my most underused console ever (purchased only to play iM@S) is a nice way to add value to it.

For the PSP, the limited box of Fate/EXTRA CCC. The game is still unwrapped, so I can't say much...

For the PS3: 428 Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de, Aquapazza, Dream C Club Complete Edipyon! and Dream C Club ZERO Special Edipyon!.
I already bought 428 for the Wii several years ago, but I was unable to play it with my unmoded PAL Wii. I was interested because of the bonus scenario written by Nasu and drawn by Takeuchi that surprisingly was the weakest scenario of the game. I really wanted to do an extensive review + summary when I just finished it (a year ago), so maybe I'll decide to do it sometime now that I'm back.
Aquapazza is a fighting game featuring Leaf/Aquaplus characters, so is like the official version of The Queen of Hearts doujin games by Watanabe Seikakusho (now French Bread). I used to like Leaf a lot and I like fighting games, so it was a no-brainer purchase.
I was interested in Dream C Club games back when was announced for the XBox, and the games where way better than I expected, if you put aside the somewhat creepy setting of a hostess club simulator. Maybe I will do a review as well...

For the PS Vita, Fate/stay night Realta Nua. With this I bought Fate/stay night for the 6th time (3 for PC: limited, regular and DVD versions and 2 for PS2: limited and budget versions) despite not having a Vita nor planing to buy one anytime soon. At least I was able to play the extra game included as a bonus, Tobitate! Chojikuu Toraburu Hanafuda Daisakusen, in the PSP.

For the PSP, the 3 versions of The Idolm@ster Shinny Festa.To tell the truth I didn't play any of them that much and the only interesting bit besides the OVAs included (that act as an opening for each game) is the brief appearance of the iM@S Cinderella Girls idols as a collectible boosts.

And finally for the NDS two games; 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and Love Plus +.
I was interested in 999 mainly because the designs of Nishimura Kinu and because the writer was Uchikoshi Kotaro (writer of the excellent Ever17). I ordered it when the sequel was announced (fearing that it will became hard to find) and I ended with a reprint version. I liked a lot the whole premise and some of the fictional themes of the game, but for me the ending was a bit lacking and the "plot twist" was too similar to the Ever17 one...
And Love Plus +, that caught my attention before the release date. I've been playing this every day a bit for almost one year and it became the permanent cartridge in my NDS. My girl of choice was Manaka.

And to finalize my videogame review, last September Kubooka Toshiyuki visited Spain. He is one of my favorite character designer (I talked a bit about him in this post).

I was struggling what to bring to get it signed, and finally I decided on the first iDOLM@STER for the XBox (the cover for the second one was not made by him):

BLU-RAY & DVD

Not really that much I bought this last year, and most of it is still unopened.

-Fate Zero Blu-ray Disc Box II. Still unopened.

-TYPE MOON Fes. Blu-ray Disc Box. Also still unopened.

-Gurren Lagann Movies DVD's. Spanish edition, unopened.

-Evangelion 1.11 Blu-ray. I already bought it in DVD, but since now I have 2.22 and 3.33 in Blu-ray I bought this one in Blu-ray as well)

-Evangelion 3.33 Blu-ray. After the hype I had with the previous movie, I'm not sure if I liked this one. I need to see the last one to properly judge.

-Zettai Junpaku: Mahou Shoujo Blu-ray Disc. RAITA's self published short movie based in his original doujinshi series. Too bad is so short (less than 6 minutes), because the voice cast and the animation is great. PV below.


And that's all for today. I'll keep posting more as soon as I can.

Goodbye

This announcement has been coming for a long time. When I returned from Japan back in September of 2009 I lost half the will to keep with the blog, and that will was getting weaker and weaker until about a year ago, when I totally lost all of it.

I didn’t want to say it, and pretty much forced myself to keep with the blog, mostly as a token of gratitude to my followers, the people that I know in person and reads this blog from time to time and the people that keeps writting constructive comments... I’ve been trying to keep up to date this blog for quite a few months, lately I tried to increase the number of posts each month and even tried new things like doing the Mahou Tsukai no Yoru summary in "real time" but with no luck and forcing myself to do it just makes me loath it all the more.

Recently I got diagnosed a nervous breakdown. Now I'm reconsidering the priorities in my life and this blog is not in the top. I want to have one less pressure on my shoulders for now, one less stress so I can try and get myself back together once more.

So Soth's Blog is going on indefinite hiatus. I may return in a couple of months, a couple of years or perhaps I move to another chapter in my life and drop this blog for good, I don't know.

So as a goodbye I'm going to post all the stuff I received months ago and was unable to do a proper review:

1/6 Saber Extra by Clayz (sculpted by Miyagawa Takeshi), 1/6 Caster Extra by Phat (sculpted by iTANDi), 1/8 Minase Iori Ryugu Komachi Ver. by Wave (sculpted by Abira) and 1/6 Ayanami Rei Cross Ver. by Amie Grand (sculpted by Suzu)

Valkyria Chronicles 3 Extra Edition for PSP (not played),  Valkyria Chronicles 3 Complete Artworks (not opened to avoid spoilers), and the limited Black Label edition OVAs in Blu-ray (not even unwrapped).

Fate/complete material V Hollow material and Carnival Phantasm Official Guidebook

 THE iDOLM@STER Character Master, THE iDOLM@STER Platinum Album, THE iDOLM@STER DS Delicious Album, Marugoto iDOLM@STER For You! and THE iDOLM@STER Twins Precious Album Guidebook

Doujinshi from circles Nurumaya, King Revolver and Kurusugawa Pikumin Tei

 

TYPE-MOON manga: Shingetsutan Tsukihime volumes 7 to 10, Fate/stay night volume 17, All Around Type-Moon manga, the paperback version of Kara no Kyoukai Mirai Fukuin chapter and several postcards that are Tora no Ana store exclusives.

Well, it's all for now. I hope to see you guys as soon as utterly possible,

Soth

Mahou Tsukai no Yoru - Chapter 4 SPOILERS

CHAPTER 4

After a brief flashback of the time when Aoko became the sucessor of the Aozaki's magecraft, Aoko and Alice are holding a meeting in the mansion talking about the unexpected intruder and the progress on their investigations of who he was. Alice is using her magical birds familiars to search the town, but they are pretty innefective at night, while Aoko is using Tobimaru and the student council data to gather info about the students that are loitering late at night.
Aoko says with animosity that perhaps is Alice fault for not casting correctly the magic barrier, but Alice replies that the barrier was perfect as always. Then when Aoko is pondering what kind of powerful magus can break Alice barrier, Alice says that it was not a magus, it was a guy without any trace of magic.

Aoko, when decided to follow the way of magi a few days ago, was resolute to kill any magus that interfered with her, but now her target is a normal human... Alice asks again if she will continue that path, and Aoko replies that yes, that she wouldn't turn back. So then Alice gives her an empty medecine bottle that works as the red gourd that appears in Journey to the West (a person is trapped inside once you open the lid and call his name), but the bottle can be break if the person inside resists with full force.

Then both take supper together, while Aoko explains how this morning Yamashiro asked her to help to decide Soujuurou in an extracurricular activity team, and thinking to herself how he said that "she would understand" but she have no clue of what he was talking about. Alice interrupts her thinking saying that Aoko wants to fight that person.  

Aoko overreacts saying that she doesn't have any interest nor she wants any relation with him and when Alice asks what is she babbling about, Aoko swiftly tries to change the subject. Alice finally asks if she really hates him, Aoko replies that of course, Alice asks why she hates him and Aoko finally catches the contradiction that there is no reason at all. Aoko keeps thinking about the reason for that irrational hate, and Alice leaves the room saying that it's pretty ucharacteristic for Aoko.

After supper, Aoko goes to her studio to make a plan. It must be a head to head battle even if her rival is a normal human, and decides to use a cage. She talks with Alice to finish the details of the plan. Alice suggest to trap him in a mirror world, and gives Aoko the idea of a mirror house. When alone, Alice talks with a robin if is a good idea leave Aoko alone, and decides to act as well.

At school the next day, Tobimaru gives the students reports to Aoko, saying that transfer students like Soujuurou are still not included but most likely is not him because he returns late after his job but he said that night saw an strange murder, so most probably had a bad dream at his home. Aoko says to herself that it can't be.
Once outside Aoko sees Alice in the school gate. She identified the pattern of the intruder in the magic barrier and is checking all the students. Once Soujuurou appears, he thanks Aoko for trying to find a club for him, but the swimming team, the one that Aoko "forceful suggested", rejected him because he can't swim. When is leaving, Aoko presents him an hypotetical situation: He is starving to death along with a kitten and a lion. If he had a gun at the moment, what animal he will kill? Soujuurou says that he will not kill anyone since all 3 are in the same situation.

When he leaves, Alice calls Aoko, but she replies that she also knows: Soujuurou is the witness.
In the story of the lion and the cat, the lion have more risk because it can counterattack, but since is a strong animal the use of a gun is kinda justified. The cat is the weakest target and everyone should feel bad for killing an undefenced animal. Soujuurou choose an outrageous option and opted to sacrifice himself. Killing Soujuurou, that came from the mountains and lives alone with no relatives in the city, feels like killing the cat for Aoko. She is getting angry until Alice notes the bandages Soujuurou have in the neck, and Aoko recalls how he is wearing them since the first time she saw him.
In the way home, Alice asks when she will kill him, and a smiling Aoko says that tonight, in the City of Dreams.

Mahou Tsukai no Yoru - Chapter 3 SPOILERS

Chapter 3 is very short and consist of only one scene.  

CHAPTER 3

Is a moonless night, Aoko recalls how a long time ago in a night like that she felt like something was following her and ran to her grandfather's place. Her grandfather said that "the red death was looking at her back", and certainly she felt a presence being closer to her each year it passes...

Aoko and Alice are in a park at night, preparing for Aoko's first battle. Alice casts a magic barrier, and Aoko activates her magic crest. She detects a figure lurking in the shadow and almost at the same moment the figure attacks her stretching its arms.  

Aoko dodges the attack and begins to cast a spell using a magic circle that was installed beforehand. The magic attack burns completely the attacker.

Aoko cautiously approach the body and sees that it doesn't have a face, is just a mannequin, but even despite that this was her first battle. Suddenly she realizes that they are not alone, because she sees a figure of a guy dressed with their school uniform.

She tries to chase him but is in vain since the guy runs away extremely quickly. Aoko doesn't know how he crossed the magic barrier, but since is a witness she must find and silence him.

Mahou Tsukai no Yoru - Chapter 2 SPOILERS

CHAPTER 2
Ten days have passed since Soujuurou began attending to school, and is slowly getting used to the school and to the life in the city. That day during the lunch break is dragged out of the classroom by Tsukiji Tobimaru, the vice president of the student council, to take part of the winter special cleaning group. Once in the student council room, Tobimaru reveals that he was asked to look after Soujuurou by order of the student council president Aoko. They both talk for a while, and the cynical Tobimaru is impressed by the honest personality of Soujuurou, and somewhat become friends.

In the conversation, Tobimaru explains the rumour of when Aoko entered high school her beatiful looks was secretely worshipped by fellow students, until one of them annoyed her too much so she kicked his face. Since then Aoko was labeled as a daredevil, and is not approached.  
Tobimaru says that if Soujuurou feels his heart pounding is not love but fear, but Soujuurou replies that he doesn't really understands his feelings towards Aoko. They didn't talk since their first meeting, but he sometimes feels the gaze from someone who is worried for him, and is very grateful to her for the explanations in the first day. He also says that the first time he saw Aoko he thought she was beautiful, and since she made the effort of showing her beatiful appearance he can judge her inner beauty as well. Tobimaru confuses that somewhat weird explanation as Soujuurou truly in love with Aoko.

After that Soujuurou begins to explain what happened to him yesterday at night, but the scene changes to Aoko asking for Soujuurou in his classroom. One of the classmates explains that he left with Tobimaru towards the student council room, so she dashes towards it. In the meantime Soujuurou finishes the explaination and asks Tobimaru if that is normal in the city. Tobimaru says that of course that's not normal, and he must had some sort of hallucination because of the fatigue due to overwork and the stress of living in an urban area. Sojuurou replies that he also thought it was not normal; a fight between a person using something like a flamethrower against a person holding some sort of extensive blade with the result of one student of his school killing a person in the park, but he was asking just to make sure.
After a while Aoko enters the room giving killer glares, and asks Soujuurou to quickly decide in an extracurricular activity team. He replies that he thought she would understand and it might be strong there, but leaves the room after saying that he will enter one club tomorrow. 

Once Soujuurou leaves, Tobimaru doesn't quite understand why she is so harsh towards a nice fellow such as Soujuurou, so he says that Soujuurou is in love with her. Aoko goes blank for a moment, but then react as if nothing happened. Tobimaru then asks for the reason she hates Soujuurou, and Aoko says that she doesn't understands her own feelings. Tobimaru notes that Soujuurou gave the exact same reply, angering immensely Aoko.

Soujuurou is working at one of his two part-time jobs at a pachinko parlour. One customer is using a machine that is giving a 100% hit ratio and since is in a blind spot of the security camera, the manager asks Soujuurou to check if is cheating or not. He goes to check the customer, and sees a woman slightly older than him, with red dyed hair, wearing glasses and a green dress. When they eyes meet, Soujuurou recognizes her as the same person of yesterday, feels panicked and rushes out of the pachinko parlour.

Once he makes sure nobody is following him, he sits at a train station. He ponders his situation, and relizes that his mind is very tired of the new experience of living in the city. The way of living in the city seems like magic to him, so maybe is not strange that an actual magician is hidding in the city as well...

Mahou Tsukai no Yoru - Chapter 1 SPOILERS

Still playing Mahoyo in my free time, just reached the 3rd chapter. Since I'm reading it slower than I expected, it actually will take me a while to complete...
Usually I'm not that slow reading visual novels in Japanese, but until now there's a complete absense of action parts, just slice of life and over accurate descriptions. In English I can read faster in the non key scenes, but I can't do the same in Japanese, and for now I'm finding extremely tedious to read more than one scene in one go...

Anyways, I was asked by a couple of persons who don't speak Japanese to do an outline of each chapter, and since is more practical to do a brief description of each chapter instead of trying to summarize the whole game, I'll try to do that.

First of all, my Japanese is nowhere near perfect, so take my word with a grain of salt. Second, don't expect this to be quick (I need to be in the mood to read the game AND to write in this blog). And lastly, there's the possibility of dropping the whole idea and do only a summary of the whole game instead.

And before starting, in the game once you finish each chapter you unlock aditional chapters in the Archive mode, labeled as X.5 and taking place between the chapters. For now I'm only reading the main chapters first, and I'll do the extra ones once I finish the game. Also, if I find some glaring omission that is needed in further chapters, I'll edit that post to add that new info.

CHAPTER 1

The game starts  with a flashback 8 years ago, and is narrated in a weird 3rd person / 1st person perspective. A young girl (her name is erased in the texts) is asked by her father to turn on the key of the car to warm it in one chilly morning, but inside the engine were hidding a cat and two kittens.

Once the engine started the cats were killed, and the saddened girl carried one of the kittens (the one that was not killed instantly) to her grandfather's place. He was a magus, so she asked him to revive the dead kitten. The magus was unable to do it, but in that moment another she was born by mistake, a she that became the little girl shadow and that was the first day they met.

After that, there's the opening scene that was included in the demo. Aozaki Aoko, after working all night is going to sleep, until is interrupted by a persistent call from her school, urging her to go there for an urgent matter despite that day was the foundation day holiday.

The person who called her was the teacher Yamashiro, in order to guide around the campus a new transfer student Shizuki Soujuurou. The reason to choose her is not only because she is the student council president, but because he thinks Aoko is the perfect person to teach Soujuurou, a rather oddball person that came from a very rural location and is still adjusting to living in the city. 

Aoko is not a girl that hides her feelings, and is quite harsh whith the teacher and by extension with Soujuurou, that ruined her holiday day.

Aoko is not happy, but earnestly shows Soujuurou around. Because he was living deep in the mountains without even electricity, is pretty naive towards how the modern world works. He's also very sincere but tactless and does a commentary about the harsh way Aoko glares, angering her even more.

After several hours, Soujuurou asks permisson to leave, since he's late for his part-job, and while is saying good-bye to Aoko, he is trying to leave the school jumping out of the window (in a second floor). After Aoko stops him and shows the exit, she wonders if he will be ok...

The next scene also appears in the demo. After returning home, checked how her experiment that was working all night failed and changed clothes, she fall asleep in the sofa. Once awake she have a talk with Kuonji Alice, the other person living with her in the large mansion. They talk about Aoko's experiment that went wrong and recalled how she ended using the whole day showing the campus to Soujuurou, until they bring the delicate matter of Aoko in the need to choice to live as a magus or as a normal girl. Aoko says that in a week she will decide and needs Alice to get the preparations ready. 

The conversation ends with the  rather puzzling matter of Alice seeing a giant cat delivering meal, and when Aoko tries to order two meals by phone, Alice responds that she doesn't need it because the cat already gave her one.

Mahou Tsukai no Yoru received!

Okay, only a brief entry to say that today I received Mahou Tsukai no Yoru (after paying an extra fee in customs).

I only played a couple of hours, until Aoko finish her first meeting with Soujuurou. Since is not voiced I need to check for the kanji and words I don't know how to read, slowing my reading pace quite a lot.
For now my opinion is the same as when I played the demo; the story seems a bit dull and kinda slow paced, but the music and specially the production values are excellent. Also I didn't like Koyama designs that much (at least not in a major TYPE-MOON product), but after seeing Aoko's expresions for a bit is slowly growing on me...

The contents. The limited booklet contains spoilers, so I'm not opening it until I finish the game.

I'll do an proper review of both the game and the limited booklet once I'm over with the game, in one or two weeks from now.

IDOLM@STER Blu-ray & Gravure For You! Vol. 6

Lately all the packages I'm receiving are held in customs, so besides paying taxes for it I'm receiving them pretty late (over a month after the release date), but unexpectedly this time I received a shipment in the usual timeframe (a bit over two weeks) and without paying extra in customs. It contained the 6th Blu-ray of iDOLM@STER and Gravure For You! Vol. 6 for PS3.

The episodes included are 15, 16 and 17 and as usual the "Special" section includes creditless 2nd opening ("CHANGE!!"), creditless endings and the extended episode preview from the website.
The extra audio commentary track features Hirata Hiromi (Makoto), Nakamura Eriko (Haruka), Imai Asami (Chihaya) and Numakura Manami (Hibiki).

Ending postcards.

As a bonus includes a drama cd, Producer no Kyuujitsu (Producer's holiday), narrating the events after the All Stars Live Concert of the episode 13. Producer is very tired due to overwork and is obliged by the President to take a free day so Kotori and the President does Producer's work for a day. Also as an extra is included Model Sheet Collection Volume 3, a 84 pages long booklet that contains settings for episodes 12 to 16.

Gravure For You! Vol. 6 settings are the live studio using "My Dear Vampire" costume and a black version of "Angel Swimsuit" in the beach. Like in the volume 5, there's an extra option in "Extras" section and you can choose "Normal Mode", that removes the fangs and the pendant to "My Dear Vampire"

As usual random pictures:

IDOLM@STER Blu-ray & Gravure For You! Vol. 5

Received just a while ago, this is the review of the 5th Blu-ray of iDOLM@STER and Gravure For You! Vol. 5 for PS3.
The episodes included are 12, 13 and 14 and again the "Special" section includes creditless endings and the extended episode previews from the website.
The extra audio commentary track features Hara Yumi (Takane) Asakura Azumi (Yukiho), Hasegawa Akiko (Miki) and Wakabayashi Naomi (Ritsuko).

This time the extras included are the usual ending postcards, the I-Gra!! magazine, the bonus cd Perfect Idol 03 and the booklet Key Art Collection Volume 2.

Ending postcards. Episode 13 was the mid-run episode and only had one picture.

Perfect Idol 03, contains as usual four tracks: "Kimi no mama de" (sung by Haruka, Yukiho and Ritsuko), "Otome yo Taishi o Idake!! -NEO ACOUSTIC Rearrange Mix-" (Haruka), "Kosmos, Cosmos -NEO ACOUSTIC Rearrange Mix-" (Yukiho) and "Massugu -NEO ACOUSTIC Rearrange Mix-" (Ritsuko).

Key Art Collection Volume 2 is a selection of genga illustrations from episodes 7 to 13.

Shocked Haruka from episode 9

Miki's smile in episode 13

Gravure For You! Vol. 5 setting this time is a female room using "Good Sleep Pajama" and the white version of "School Swimsuit". In "Extras" section you can choose "Nekomimi Mode", that adds white cat ears and tail to the swimsuit

Random photos:

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Street Fighter x Tekken

A brief post to list my latest PS3 acquisitions: Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and the limited edition of Street Fighter x Tekken.

I'm not going to do a lenghty rant about how the recent Capcom fighting games are nowhere as good as they used to be as I did in a previous post, but to summarize after playing the regular Marvel vs. Capcom 3 I adamantly refused to buy those games and was my brother who finally bought them (Marvel vs. Capcom 3 back in December and Street Fighter x Tekken last weekend).

After playing both games for a few hours against my brother, my opinion remains unchanged; I don't like Marvel vs. Capcom 3 at all and Street Fighter x Tekken is marginally tolerable at best. At least is interesting to see the "new" characters Hugo, Poison and Rolento in 3D renditions (I don't care about Tekken franchise since Tekken Dark Resurrection, that I have for the PSP).

The limited edition included this piggy bank shaped in form of a (fictional) SFxT arcade cabinet

The only interesting extra is a mini-mini comic booklet drawn by Udon Comics. Is nice to see Ingrid, a forgotten character that I really like, as the mastermind behind the Pandora Box...