Sailor Moon Crystal: Episode 2 Review

As mentioned last time here, the awakening of Sailor Mercury occurs. It’s a little disheartening that each episode is released every two weeks but I suppose it makes it that much more interesting for us fans.

This episode focused on Mizuno Ami’s isolation from her peers and of course, the sadness that comes with it. There are various times where it is mentioned she doesn’t have many friends and each time, it seems she hears these opinions which further bringing her morale down.

She’s definitely popular but of course, in a way which makes people jealous of her high IQ. These initial scenes build a foundation for Usagi’s and Ami’s meeting and blossoming friendship. From the get go, Ami notices Usagi, possibly due to her bubbly nature.

We are then introduced to Queen Beryl and the new layout of her dominion is quite nice. It looks like more than a dark pit from the original and now, more of a dark castle.

Returning to the city, Luna suspects Ami is one of the scouts. They become instant friends as in the series, she is the closest to Luna. Usagi wanted to be friends with her for somewhat selfish reasons – increasing grades and learning how to study.

But then it becomes a normal friendship with a trip to the arcade. There, Ami is able to gain respect of the gamers since she does extraordinarily well in the Sailor V game, earning a ‘pen’ (her transformation talisman) and Usagi wants one too, tampering with the machine until she gets the disguise pen.

In this episode, the main conflict is with Ami’s cram school – Crystal Seminar. It is computer based so the minion is able to draw energy. She has chosen Ami as her star pupil.

Usagi and Luna catch on to Ami's strange behaviour after inviting her to an ice cream outing and rush to save her with Usagi transforming into a doctor.

Once there, Usagi gets into trouble and Sailor Mercury is awakened. Naturally, Ami's transformation scene is shorter but the amusing part was that it looked like she was figure skating. 

The significant change here is the lack of attack sequence – when the scouts attack, it is instant. That may be because there was only a few minutes left before the end, indicating the show will be focusing more on character development than on battle time since the last two fights have been quite short.

After the help of Tuxedo Mask, Usagi and Ami become good friends with Ami wanting to know more. Usagi and Luna were Ami's first friends and now she's become a much happier individual.

Then we get a glimpse of Rei. So next time, the awakening of Sailor Mars!

The first episode served as a plot set up and there is a lot of ground to cover so I can see why (in comparison to Sword Art Online II, where the plot is really picking up after episode 3). The rest of the episodes to come indicate that they will focus on the characters themselves since we now know the mission, some of the baddies, etc.

With this episode, I felt the bond Usagi and Ami have and why Ami would be inclined to serve her once she awakens as the Princess – Usagi was the first to speak with her, breaking the barriers of Ami’s isolation.

Now I’m looking forward to seeing Rei’s characterization – will they keep the manga character or will they stick with the previous anime version?

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Sailor Moon Crystal: Episode 1 Review

The long awaited Sailor Moon Crystal finally made its appearance last week and boy, was I happy to see it!

There are many who have been pulling every single aspect of the show apart but I am among those who is appreciating the show for what it is.

That being said, the following review will be a bit biased since I liked the first episode that much ;)

The episode begins with beautiful shots of the galaxy as the camera comes closer and closer to Earth. The music is something I felt was overdone but eventually, we come to Earth.

Then, mostly the outline of a princess and her prince is shown but we all know who they are. 

Cue the opening sequence, which I was incredibly pleased with. It did all the characters justice with some added scenes of Usagi and Mamoru. It was definitely more upbeat and interactive like many of the anime openings of this generation.

At this point, Usagi wakes and realizes she’s late. We don’t see her face until she meets Luna. Before that, she interacts with her mother, who has undergone design changes as well.

Personally, it seems that she looks much more like Usagi than the previous series. Her anger seems to be much more subdued in comparison to the previous, where it was completely exaggerated. It is still amusing when Usagi is kicked out of the house.

Naturally, after Usagi and Luna meet, the plot moves forward.

After they part, we are introduced to Usgai’s classmates and her opinion of each. Another character to undergo significant design changes is Haruna-sensei. Her signature suit is intact though albeit not as bright!

When Jadeite is introduced, the show took on a dark turn that the previous didn’t really offer as it was full of comedy. It’s at this point that I thought very highly of the show. Previously when the baddies came, it usually was combined with comedic stunts with a touch of malice. 

Now, whether it’s due to the toned down comedy, the dark colour palette or the music reminiscent of Diabolik Lovers, the show so far does justice to the evils occurring on Earth, which the scouts are needed for.

The main conflict in this episode is the baddie taking over Naru's mother's jewelry shop in order to retrieve energy from them. This is under the orders of Jadeite.

After Usagi leaves, she bumps into Mamoru. When I watched the show at a younger age, the romance between these two specifically didn’t appeal to me in any way. I thought it was overplayed.

However, with this installment, the subtle hints and dream sequences are better played out. Usagi isn’t, yet anyway, drooling all over him with the hearts in her eyes. It suits my preferences. 

Then came time for her to help her friends. Now, her transformation scene is something I wasn’t fond of and is the aspect that I liked better in the previous series. In this one, they used 3D effects and really showcased the spaghetti-fication of the characters.

As expected, when the battle comes, Usagi freaks out and begins crying. 

Tuxedo Mask, not super impressed, guides her and her crush is formed. Near the end, while everyone talks about the new heroine, we see Ami walking away from the building.

Guess who’s going to awaken next?

Overall, I felt this episode met expectations with all of the hype. The characters actually look their age, the animation is much more fluid and the colour palette is great. Pacing was done well and covered enough ground to set up for the rest of the episodes. I also love the minute details that make the overall difference - Usagi's hair strands, facial expressions, etc. It's not as exaggerated but showcases some major talent on the animator's part as the emotions are conveyed.

The only major concern I had was of the relationship between Naru and Nephrite's relationship, which was my favourite. I truly hope it stays in the picture because it was so sweet.

That's it for now, until next time!

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Kamigami no Asobi Review | Episode 1 & 2 (Spoilers)

(right to left) Takeru, Tsukito, Apollon, Yui, Baldr, Loki, Hades

Another anime I was looking forward to was Kamigami no Asobi - a series focusing on pagan gods as the love interests for Kusanagi Yui as they try to conquer high school for the future of both gods and humanity alike.

Initially, it was exciting to get two reverse harem anime in one season and honestly, the first episode was a let down but it picked up again by episode 2.

Episode 1 commences dramatically with gods fighting with one another and Yui, the protagonist, attempting to stop them. Apollon then makes his entrance and undergoes such a mahou shoujo transformation into his god form...it was hilarious since all that happened was removal of clothing and growth of hair.

Apollon Make-up!

Afterwards, it had a better paced screenplay with introducing Yui and her normal life. We know she is learning/doing kendo, has two brothers and parents, and lives in a shrine which is maintained by her family. It is probably due to this spiritual connection that she is chosen by Zeus for the mission.

Later, she and 7 gods are transported to a floating island. All of them are obviously confused and we go through an incredibly slow, 15 minutes as each of them are introduced through interactions with her.

A lot of shounen/yaoi material was also introduced as Norse, Greek and Shinto gods are featured and all have prior relationships within their folklore. The most interesting one was Baldr since he was so very clumsy and I sense a dual personality coming about...

Finally, Zeus summons her and they talk about the declining future of both the gods and humans. There was attempted comedy following the conversation but...it was kind of forced, as are most comedic scenes in the series so far. 

The purpose of the academy was to teach the gods humanity and save the future. At the end of the episode, we meet the 'default' male - the one with who the majority of scenes will take place with. 

Now, the animation is wonderful as it really focuses on lighting, shading, details, etc., as can be seen below:

It also had great promise of a strong female character and the difference was noted in her voice, where it is much deeper than other MCs of the same genre. Then it is revealed that she doesn't have a love life so she'll be the same as any other girl - completely inexperienced, leading to 'innocently seductive' scenarios and maintaining a confused/shocked facial expression at all times.

Kusanagi Yui

The downfall was the slow pace. I was just waiting for it to be over! 

Moving onto the second episode, it become a bit better with the opening sequence setting a pace - something the first lacked. It was also packed with a number clips focusing on enlightening the audience of the relationships already in place.

There wasn't any original clips with the MC & god as they were animated from the CGs:

It's always interesting to see the changes, especially in art (the game accommodates more western features whereas the is very Japanese) & Loki's personality is toned down a tad bit.

The main conflict in this episode is that not all the gods are up for participating in Zeus' plan. Each god reveals an aspect of his personality and by the end, the team formed for success consists of Yui, Apollon, Baldr & Tsukito. They do their best to convince the others to join the campaign for success!

The episode then ends with a lovely sequence of the main gods synced with the song. Here's a clip as a farewell:

It's a little difficult to watch the interpretations of the gods since Marvel dominated Norse folklore through Thor & Avengers whereas I've studied a great deal of Greek mythology. Nonetheless, it's still entertaining, even the take on Hades, who in mythology is a trickster/malevolent personality but a...misunderstood man in the anime.

The plot is forced but for the sake of reverse harem, it works. So until next time!

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La Corda D'Oro: Blue Sky | Episode 1 Review

This April, La Corda D'Oro: Blue Sky has been released! The best part is that it doesn't have connections to the first installment aside from taking place in the same school. 

I just finished watching the first episode and there were more positive feelings than negative. I wrote about the manga adaption here if anyone is interested. 

As with the manga adaption, the anime keeps the show dynamic with the various old and new relationships between the protagonist, Kanade, and her harem members.

The episode begins by showing Kanade as a young prodigy and fast forward a couple of years, we see her getting a note about reaching her limit. We don't know who sent it to her but in the manga, we have a better sense of who did.

Then the beautiful opening begins, foreshadowing allies and rivals, who she's most likely to end up with and my personal favourite clip:

I know which my OTP is going to be ;)

Every time I see this version, I can't help but compare it to the first. The feel was much more la-de-dah whereas this one focuses on a protagonist who seems to have lost her true passion for the violin and her self-confidence.

The song itself, Wings to Fly, is much more dramatic as well!

Moving on, we are introduced to Kyoya, who has an obvious crush on Kanade and is slightly possessive, and both are on their way to listen to Ritsu's performance. He is Kyoya's older brother and Kanade's cherished friend. She loves it when he plays.

In the concert, we are introduced to the majority of characters. Each of a line or two and the presidents of the music/orchestra clubs are featured (Ritsu, Togane, Myouga) and of course, Myouga is the one who stands outs since he knows Kanade is in the audience, zoning in on her.

Sei, sitting in the audience, wonders who he is taking his anger out on. Then after the concert, an announcement is about an a competition among three schools. This gets people excited as the prize is sponsorship and support from them for further studies abroad.
Following the concert, the two meet Ritsu, who has created a distance between himself and Kanade. It turns out he had left the both of them at their smaller town to learn how to better play the violin. He called them to his concert so they can better themselves as musicians.

It also turns out he shipped their belongings to the dorms so they could switch schools...

Funny.

Kanade eventually decides to stay - Kyoya's tense relation with his brother is touched on - and Kyoya doesn't want to leave her behind, especially with Sakaki constantly hitting on her.

The episode ends with the announcement of Kyoya and Kanade being entered in the competition! The other members don't like that very much.

All in all, it was a decent first episode. The major characters have been introduced with the minor ones most likely being flushed out in the second or third episodes. The anime really pushes the obvious crush Kyoya has for her and they have a pretty clip in the opening:

It seems like the series will focus on her development much more than Hino's. I liked the OVA of the first series as it did focus much more on developing Hino's character. The downside to the series is the lazy animation of characters not in the spot light.

When Sakaki speaks to Kanade, poor Kyoya's has been neglected. It's a minor thing right now so here's hoping none of that continues...

Looking forward to next week's episode!

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LGBT marriages not recognized in Japan

Last year, there was hype over Japan's first lesbian married couple to the extent of having a manga ("Lesbian-teki Kekkon Seikatsu") being published based on their married life.

Cool but what's this? Japan hasn't legalized LGBT marriages?

It’s quite intriguing that LGBT marriages aren’t legalized since the entertainment business, (animanga, dramas, etc) incorporate gay couplings, leading the illusion of being tolerant.

The reason why I say illusion is after reading the comment here, it further enlightened me to a trend of capitalism: beauty makes things okay. The following images help with the understanding of this statement:

These are aesthetically pleasing or provides fanservice to the audience. So if gay love or attraction is shown as such, then it's pleasing. It's not to say all yaoi, yuri or het fans fit this mold but I've spent enough years in fandom to see that beautiful characters matter to a large extent - 50/50 on art & plot makes a solid story (Takashi from Prince of Tennis is an example of this, being the most regularly drawn). In pursuit of 'hawtness', these rapid fangirls make more socio-cultural problems than there should be. 

Referring to the comments once again, some say because the 'marriage' was between two women who were good looking, they were able to 'get away' with such an event. Some say if it was two men, they wouldn't be able to bear it. 

So...are fans objectifying LGBT couples in fandom? Yes, I believe so. Fandoms are not the only ones that participate in this. As much as I enjoy CLAMP's works, beauty is a trend they definitely emphasize on through scenery in scans and of course, the characters themselves. They say love has no form but their characters sure are good looking people, eh?

Returning to reality, it's terrible that if a couple was considered unattractive, they would have much more trouble with society. Then again, beauty makes things better for anyone - in some places, prettier people are paid more than those who aren't. 

So sad. 

For those who want to read the article, take a look here. 

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English Otome Games Review (Android)

Amy from Always Remember Me

Recently there's been an influx of English Otome games being released for either Andriod or Apple products. Some are fun while others, not so much. I have complied a review/guide for those who want an overview of the games before making the decision to spend hours and hours on a particular one.

As I complete routes, I'll be writing up walkthroughs for those who want to have all the pictures! I would suggest attempting to understand what the character will and won't like in in terms of choices but we all need a little push at the end at times.

Remember that Ctrl + F is your best friend here ;)

Winter Wolves 

Of all the companies producing English Otome games, Winter Wolves is my favourite. I haven't played all of them, but the three I've played so far are incredibly worth the money! Instead of merely a visual novel, they create simluation games with the major focus on dating. While using the anime style in regards to character designs, I find their men to be more North American than anything, which is REALLY refreshing. There isn't an absolute need to be protected and you determine the protagonist's career and/or scholarly path.

Amy & Aaron

Always Remember Me

Plot: The story revolves around Amarantha (Amy) Fitch, a student attending college for creative arts, who in the beginning of the game, has a boyfriend named Aaron. Unfortunately, they get involved in an accident while on a date. Following the trip to the hospital, she learns that Aaron lost his memories of her! And thus the game begins, where Amy lives her regular life and finds out whether her true soul mate was Aaron or perhaps another man altogether.

Characters Design/Development: 9/10
Extra features: 6/10
'My Page' Interface: --
Love Metre: 10/10
Music: 10/10
Story & Pacing: 8/10
Side Stories: --

Opinion:  I did like the batch of men available in this simulation as they don't necessarily fit stereotypes. The situations with all of them follow the plot yet have the unique factor since they each have vastly different careers. 

The game's time frame was three months, where you can do a variety of things to increase skill sets such as creativity, discipline, romance, or culture. These affect which ending career-wise and if you have one in the same field as your chosen boy, it's said to be a super happy ending. There are 9 available with the 9th being that you end up alone. It isn't a downer though.

In my first play, I received the 9th ending, not realizing I couldn't play past September. The second time around, I chose Eddy but because I didn't increase discipline to the maximum level, I didn't receive the career ending. The affection points go up/down by 5 or 10. 

The art is gorgeous and very soft toned. The dialogue in each scene is believable/realistic and can be quite difficult to make the right choice, depending on the difficultly level chosen in settings. After playing other games, I found that I really like the sound effects & music. 

Overall rating for Always Remember Me...

9/10

Solmare

Solmare has some interesting otome themes but the majority do have to be paid for, unless you have an iPhone, in which case, some were free. The graphics of the games were GORGEOUS, even more so than Winter Wolves since the targeted demographics were teenage girls.

They also had an interactive 'My Page' where you can greet friends for extra currency, partake in gacha/lotto, shop or earn extra money by completing action items. This feature was the most developed in comparison to the other otome companies featured since it doubled as a social platform. All Solmare games have the feel of a visual novel.

In all games though, the downside was the pressure to spend actual money to get ahead faster or have nicer avatar items.

Ninja Love+

Kotaro & MC

Plot: One day, ninjas appear at the temple where you live and inform you that you are the ninja princess, the personification of hope for the waging war at hand! Born in a small village, you aren't quite sure what to do but try to make a difference in the world. With your chosen bodyguard by your side, you feel you can make a difference in the world.

Characters Design/Development: 10/10
Extra features (Gacha/lotto/training/room): 8/10
'My Page' Interface: 9/10
Music: 10/10
Story & Pacing: 8/10
Side Stories: ...

Current route: Mushashi

Opinion: I initially played the GREE version for this and become very frustrated. While the graphics were nice, there wasn't much else to do aside from greet friends while I waited for the energy to restore & items were ridiculously expensive so I stopped playing.

The Solmare version is a fantastic upgrade. There were familiar characters plus some now playable ones. The route I chose was Mushashi's. The plot was shorter but more seemed to get accomplished so I haven't played any side stories yet. The main character's personality had been upgraded so she was a stronger minded individual.

I like my heroines to kick ass in their own way ;) The dialogue was quite funny in some places! Check it out for daily entertainment.

Overall rating for Ninja Love+...

9/10

My Sweet Prince

Alvah & MC

Plot: While on vacation, you suddenly get shoved into a car and not sure where the final destination is. What a surprise it is when you end up at the country's palace! It turns out the bracelet you found randomly on the street determines the next heir to the throne. It's up to you to pick the right son out of the six possible heirs, each with different mothers and unique personalities. But ruling isn't as glamorous people think it is, as you will soon find out.

Characters Design/Development: 10/10
Extra features (Gacha/lotto/training/room): 5/10
'My Page' Interface: 7/10
Music: --
Story & Pacing: 8/10
Side Stories: 3/10
Played Route: Chezem

Current Route: Jun

Opinion: I felt this game was pretty straightforward and it was nice having it layered with the politics of becoming the next ruler. Families and businesses trying to get into the heir's favours were interesting.

I've attempted only one side story and immediately, they asked for an item at checkpoint only obtainable from Gacha, which was non-existent. Not impressed. Aside from that, the game was good and the art & plot made up for some lacking features.

Overall rating for My Sweet Prince...

                                                                  6/10

Destiny Ninja

Hanzo & MC

Plot: One fateful day, you awake and don't remember who you are and how you got to the forest clearing. A mysterious man tries to kill you but spares your life, taking you his lord, Yoshitsune, who agrees to host you. With the assistance of your chosen ninja, your memories return slowly as does your destiny. 

Characters Design/Development: 10/10
Extra features (Gacha/lotto/training/room): 7/10
'My Page' Interface: 7/10
Music: --
Story & Pacing: 8/10
Side Stories: 10/10

Current Route: Hanzo

Opinion: This continued to be my favourite Solmare games. The choice of nearly ten men, all very unique albeit having a few share traits, was the best part of the game. I have replayed many of my favourite routes, such as Sohma, Hanzo, & Mizuki.

I like the unique aspect of befriending the sidekicks of the chosen ninja and the short side-stories. The characters are who really pull me in as they are much more...direct/handsy than Ninja Love+. Some of their introduction lines are a little sadistic but getting past that, the men are much more sweeter!

The stakes aren't too high in this one when it comes to check points and all. You get items frequently as accomplishing ninja missions are simple enough. 

Overall rating of Destiny Ninja...

8/10

Accela

Accela is a relatively new entry into the English Otome industry, its virgin attempt made obvious through the single route they have available in their game. This is a major disadvantage as not every player will be fond of the default choice and will lose interest in the game. They are mobile based, as is obvious from the minimized app interface, which is similar to the Okko interfaces.

Illegal Romance

Plot: You wake up in a telephone booth and can't remember how you got there. Well honestly, you can't remember much of anything. A young man named Noze finds you there and offers his home to you while you recover your memories. After taking a bath, you flick on the television and come across a news flash: a murder has been committed and the murder is still at large. Suddenly, feelings of familiarity overcome you. Could this tragic scene be part of your past? 

Characters Design/Development: 8/10
Extra features (Gacha/lotto/training/room): 2/10
'My Page' Interface: 4/10
Music: --
Story & Pacing: 8/10
Side Stories: 0/10

Current Route: Noze

Opinion: The pacing of the plot is fairly good, which compensates for the choice of only one character's route and crappy interface. The text speed is good and each sub-chapter has a good length, both factors that doesn't make me feel pressured to have to buy anything. There isn't much specialization happening because of the difficulty in getting coins though, which is kind of boring.

Overall Rating of Illegal Romance: 

7/10

GREE

GREE is a mobile social gaming company which provided a few free otome games with the option of purchasing in-game items. They placed restrictions in the game so those who were addicted would want to buy these items to make the story/events go by quicker, much like Solmare. Aside from that downside, everything else about the games they provide was relatively alright. Not spectacular but good to play if you had the patience.

Be My Princess 

All Princes

Plot: You are a young fashion designer, constantly rejected by ever position applied for. Then one day, you receive an opportunity with the most famous fashion designer in a far away kingdom. So you take the opportunity, only to learn this particular company makes clothes for princes!

Thus your story begins to become the best & personal designer of one of six princes.

Characters Design/Development: 6/10
Extra features (Gacha/lotto/training/room): 5/10
'My Page' Interface: 5/10
Music: --
Story & Pacing: 7/10
Side Stories: 4/10

Current Route: Edward

Opinion: Of all the GREE games, this one popped out. It may be due to the main character, who is actually trying to build a career (although it revolves around her love interest) and the CGs are nice enough. There's a mix of politics and emotional baggage for each character, developing them further than the usual archetypes.

It's nice to receive some free items here and there and the annoying part is the way GREE attempts to persuade to take money from you. The side stories are insightful but do contain spoilers for the main character route if you haven't played. It does take quite a bit of time to play through if you don't buy additional currency/items to and they are to be time limited. Other than that, everything is fairly adequate for a free game.

Overall Rating of Be My Princess:

6/10

My Sweet Bodyguard

Mizuki & MC

Plot: You are the ordinary Japanese citizen, raised only by your mother, but all of a sudden, you find out your father is the Prime Minister of Japan! No wonder he wasn't around when you were younger.

He loves you immensely and has received intel that your life will be in potential danger. That being said, he asks you to choose a bodyguard for safety's sake. Thus your life takes a dangerous turn but nothing is impossible for your bodyguard!

Characters Design/Development: 6/10

Extra features (Gacha/lotto/training/room): 6/10

'My Page' Interface: 5/10

Music: --

Story & Pacing: 5/10

Side Stories: 3/10

Current Route: Kaji

Opinion: When I first got my hands on this, I thought it was the best - the cliche of having a bodyguard protect you and who will eventually fall in love with you. Then progressing in the game became a little difficult since the stakes could be incredibly high.

The side stories are alright but they take forever to finish as well and are available for a limited time - GREE's almost forced attempt to spend money to make things go faster. The main character is kind of annoying too. 

This was a decent game but that is all, just decent. 

Overall rating of My Sweet Bodyguard...

5/10

So that's all for today. I've begun playing Okko's games but I'll need to make some headway before I review it on here. I'll eventually begin investing in the paid games but that's far in the future. At the moment, the next games to be added will be Sweet Scandal, Nicole & Contract Marriage.

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