[Movie Review] Kuroko No Basuke: LAST GAME

[Movie Review] Kuroko No Basuke: LAST GAME

Saturday, May 6, 2017 / No Comments

Our favourite heroes animated basketball players are back in town - literally! The Last Game movie is from the spinoff manga EXTRA GAME, where the Generation of Miracles, together with Kagami, join forces to face off a visiting unruly American basketball team.

Ever since the movie was confirmed, I was hoping it will eventually reach our shores, especially in recent years where animated movies and even lives are given the green light to air in countries beyond Japan. (Thank you, Odex!) Though I may not be active in the Kurobasu fandom anymore, it was the first anime I was seriously invested in after a really long time so it still has a special place in my heart!

Of course I still have my favourites in the series to fangirl over about. For example, never forget Mayuzumi Chihiro even if you may forget him on the court or have forgotten about him already :T (He had a 10 second appearance in the movie, but that was enough... Epic enough...)

I won't be giving away too many spoilers, but I will still talk about some moments people can look forward to in the movie! For one, it's definitely worth it for the fans and longtime watchers; the movie gives a pretty good closure on the series. Not just the Generation of Miracles: people from the main teams will debut as a spectator in the eventual game at the very least, so it's really good and nostalgic to see those familiar faces and hear those voices once again!

Also, I like the dynamics of the new team! Called Vorpal Swords (cue fandom laughing in the background), it was like the old Teiko Middle School team plus Kagami, except that everyone has considerably matured after the entire Kurobasu series. Quite a lot happened in the match against Jabberwock, the opposing team, but the Vorpal Swords team managed to keep their cool and play to their fullest potential, and that in itself was pretty awesome.

Of course, as usual some moves and actions are animated to be... a little out of this world and exaggerated (and as usual, I closed an eye on those) but the street basketball playstyle is actually a real thing and has been featured several times in the movie. Catch Aomine, Akashi, Kagami and the opposing team pulling off those moves - I found those scenes to be really, really cool! (Though I may be a little biased because I really like basketball, way before I got into Kurobasu actually!)

It is true that the movie follows the manga quite loyally. However, with a few new scenes added here and there, and also with the overall directing of the film, it breathes a different feeling into the movie. Just another reason why fans shouldn't miss this! Well I did read the Extra Game manga, but I stopped halfway through, so the ending did surprise me (pssst pssst!) And I say all these, but it has been over a year since I last read the manga though...

There were also some sudden timeskips which made me feel were not executed clearly, but well! It's still follow-able.

But I'll reiterate: it's definitely a must-watch for the Kurobasu fans, and for the non-kurobasu fans, give the series a try! The movie at the end tops everything for you.

There were plenty of scenes I liked in the movie. Almost contemplating going for a second viewing! And speaking of which, it's still airing in certain Golden Village cinemas! Do view the available timings at their website for more, it's $15 per entry and comes with the Last Game poster. :D (We all know the movie is going to get placed online - illegally - sooner or later, but I think it's better to watch the movie in the cinema to support the kurobasu staff!)

Here's my copy of the poster!

The movie came out over a month ago in Japan, but to my understanding, they are still airing it for a few more weeks, and if you go for the movie in different weeks you can collect different kinds of tokuten (souvenirs)! (I'm so jealous...) And now that the other countries are joining in the Last Game hype, here's to many more weeks of it! :v

This reads "The last battle", literally "last game"

Written by
Ritsu

Catching Up: Adaptations, Finger Cramps and A.I. Channel

Catching Up: Adaptations, Finger Cramps and A.I. Channel

Monday, May 1, 2017 / No Comments

There has been a lot of adaptations coming out recently. From a Netflix adaptation of Death Note, to which I find to be incredibly amusing, to a Hollywood adaptation of Ghost in the Shell, which I too find to be just as amusing. 

I mean the design and effort put into the movie is bloody brilliant but I just can’t help but laugh at it. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not laughing at the casting or the story even. It just felt really off to me. To me, it was better than some adaptations that Japan has done but then again there are worse ones out there. Though on the other hand, there are some that are amazingly well adapted despite its minor flaws. 

Like for example Death Note, Rurouni Kenshin, Kami-sama no Iu Toori and I am Hero, which I enjoyed immensely. Upcoming ones such as Gintama and FMA leaves uncertainty in the community as previous examples proves that some adaptations aren’t meant to be. There is a rumor of a live action adaptation of SAO floating about but nothing has been confirmed so you may just treat it as a passing breeze.

As you can guess, I play a lot of Lucio

I got back into playing Overwatch recently after a break of two seasons of competitive. My friends have been bugging me to get a PC and dump this old MacPro of mine but I do most of my work on it so I’m still keeping it. I have plans on getting one but I’m pushing it for other upcoming events that I have in mind. So, I’m saving up for that. Though I did try it out on PC by visiting the “local” LAN shops, which was a regular routine I used to do back in secondary school. 

Turns out that I needed a separate account from my PS4 one to play on PC, which discouraged me a bit as I won’t be able to get the skins that I have in my PS4 one. Nevertheless, after continuous pester from other friends and me, I played it on my friend’s spare account. I have this thing where it takes me a while before I adapt to the controls of the game and I had this issue when I was in secondary school where we would lose games because I couldn’t play. My fingers just can’t react fast enough. 

So, after a “few” losses, I got the hang of it and we started to play more cohesively and it was fun, despite the toxic in the chat. I also realized then that I had not played an FPS game on PC for so long that my fingers cramp up midgame and I had to lift my hands from the keyboard to rest it frequently. I felt old, like are my bones acting up, am I getting enough calcium or have I not have enough exercise.

Recently, a new channel has popped up from the land of the rising sun. It quickly gained traction and has now become quite a meme, gaining more followers despite the communication barrier. Without the subtitles provided by subscribers, one cannot appreciate the humor that is A.I. Channel. 

I got curious of it as memes of it were appearing on Facebook and a few other websites that I’ve been to and I found the channel one day from recommendations on the Youtube. And from then on, the rest was history. I gotta admit, I thoroughly enjoyed the humor. It was certainly unique as she or he have these skits play out in front of the viewers. But lately, her videos are getting slightly dull. 

I enjoyed the previous let’s plays on the channel with the unique reactions and expressions. It is still enjoyable though, not going to lie.

Mate ne~

Written by Zwei

3DS: Fire Emblem Fates

3DS: Fire Emblem Fates

Sunday, April 30, 2017 / No Comments

Hello hello my little nuggets!

I cannot believe I never did a post on FE: Fates! I am so disappointed in myself. Anyway! If you haven't read the one I did on FE:Awakening, it's here~ 

But yes, Fates. FE: Fates consists of three different separate games, Birthright, Conquest, and Revelations. Birthright and Conquest are sold as separate physical cartridges, and Revelations is a DLC, but if you’re like me and have to get all three as physical copies, then you’ll have to go for the limited-edition version. The limited-edition sees all three routes combined into one single game cartridge, so if you lose it, gg man.

The limited edition set costs me $190 I think? Or somewhere there, and last I heard the preorder slots were super competitive. Now a lot of people were calling me insane for paying $190 for a game, but hey, it’s three games, technically. And it’s not just the game, I got the artbook and a couple of other items packaged in. I’d say the artbook is pretty worth it on its own, Fire Emblem art never fails to disappoint.

Now, you might wonder if there’s any difference, or if it’s just like Pokémon where no matter what you buy, it’s going to end up the same. Nah-uh, these are three entirely different routes with entirely different playthroughs, and entirely different outcomes.

Birthright sees you playing on the side of the ‘East’, set in Hoshido. This is the easiest route out of all three, as it’s set for new players as well. 

Conquest is for the upper levels, and apparently will make you want to kill yourself when playing this. Conquest is you playing on the side of the West, set in Nohr.  

Revelations is somewhere in between, where you reject joining either sides, and instead play as a rebel, a wanted fugitive on both sides. This will allow you to collect characters from both Birthright and Conquest, and widens the marriageable range of characters.

males

females

I played Birthright first, then Revelations, but have yet to start on Conquest. Reading the other players’ reviews on Conquest made conquering it look more than slightly daunting, so I’ll wait till I can summon the energy and heart to play through that.

I’d say between Birthright and Revelations, I’ll pick Revelations because, a bigger marriageable pool of bachelors! Also, because the story was more interesting for me. Revelations is also good because I cannot pick one side; they are both my families, and Revelations’ antagonist is a third invisible kingdom, the one that is the cause behind the war. So, win-win.  

there are different castle layouts!

3D view yo

Revelations is also cool, because you get x2 the materials and resources compared to the others. This material collecting aspect is pretty similar to Animal Crossing, where it’s advised for you to visit other players’ towns to collect whatever materials they have/ are able to grow. Usually each castle in either Birthright or Conquest is only able to have one ore material and grow one type of fruit/veggie, but in Revelations, you get two of each. You don’t get to choose which ore/veggie, but it’s still good to get x2.

Ores are used to forge weapons, veggies for the mess hall, which buffs your characters for the next fight. You can also use them to purchase accessories, which is hella cute.

look me in the eye and say this cinnamon roll isn't cute i triple dare you

For both my playthroughs on Birthright and Revelations, I went with Silas, because I am a sucker for the childhood friend troupe. Also, because I am a double sucker for friends not remembering each other from childhood, and I am a triple sucker for angsty situations. 

In Silas’ case, I have forgotten him, even though he only became a Knight just so he can see me again, and then in both Birthright and Revelations, he has orders to finish me, but in the end, he couldn’t and decided to let me kill him instead. But yknow, he’s not supposed to die, so instead he joins my team.

If you’re familiar with the Fire Emblem series, you’ll know that there are support convos, and the ones between F!Avatar and Silas is especially cute. I’ll link yguys on ALL of his support convos, but the important one in this context is just the first bit under Female Avatar. So so cute.

Now, once you’re all married up, you get kids! And my child especially, is the cutest thing ever. The avatar will always have a kid, and the husband, whoever you pick, will have one too, so two children for the Female Avatar. I’m not sure about playing as the male avatar? Maybe you just get one kid? Unless you marry Azura I think. She has her own kid along with whoever she marries if I remember correctly.

SO CUTE 

Anyway! LOOK AT THIS CUTIE. He’s too adorable in support convos too! I don’t particularly care much for Silas’ child to be honest, but well, both children’s support conversations with each other are not bad I guess.

All that said, my favorite part in Fates has got to be the fact that you get birthday buffs on your birthday! I didn’t realize until I happened to be playing throughout the night, and then when I completed a battle and arrived at the barracks and talked to Kana, he wished me happy birthday!

thank you very much, whoever who uploaded these

I mean, every other character you talk to on your designated birthday will wish you a happy birthday but how cute is it!!!  IT’S TOO CUTE!!! 

That's not to say that only the Avatar gets birthday buffs, but every other character that is with you has their own birthday buffs!! Too!! Cute!!

I’d say gameplay is pretty similar to the previous Fire Emblems, but having the choice between three different routes is pretty amazing. Can you imagine a non turn based Fire Emblem though! Would that still even be considered Fire Emblem? 

Anyway, here’s a new Fire Emblem announced, I think it’s Fire Emblem Echoes, coming out sometime May? There is also a Fire Emblem Heroes for mobile, which is fun, but I got bored after a quick while. It is energy based, so I can’t play for hours for end.

But, all in all, Fire Emblem gets a 10/10 from me. That $190 was definitely well spent.

Nerd out!

(pic credits to their respective owners!)

Written by: ninetylives

[Figure Unboxing] Yazawa Nico Training Outfit Nendoroid

[Figure Unboxing] Yazawa Nico Training Outfit Nendoroid

Saturday, April 29, 2017 / No Comments

From the line of Love Live! Nendoroids that brings you muse members in their daily training outfits! This nendoroid has held my interest ever since the picture for its preorder got released (already more than one year ago, I suppose, since the release date for her was mid-June 2016!) After an unsuccessful preorder enquiry, and much thinking later, I gave in to Yazawa Nico's cuteness ♡

The original price was at 3500 yen (around S$45 sans the shipping), however that preordering online from sites like AmiAmi gives you discounts (approx 20%, so around S$36 as the base price, actually!) - and if you choose cheaper shipping options, and order other non-bulky items together, it will be approximately S$42. I bought Nico from La-Tendo at S$47.50 after member price, so it's still not too bad! I think it's a pretty good deal already ♡

But first, I need to apologise to Nico... As you can see from the dusty box (/flips a table) I got her sometime in October or even September last year, and I only got around to opening the box now! But the wait is now over - she can now nico nico nii freely~

[Apologies for the incoming clutter in the background as well] (/flips another table)

It comes with two faceplates and many other accessories that are quite unique to this nendoroid!

Oh dear... :O

Hmph!

Guess who's boss here! "Watch me!"

"You over there! Yes, you!"

"Now I'll be showing all of you The Nico Nico Smile~!"

*Giggles*

Nico is the first nendoroid (that I bought and will be keeping) so this is my first time assembling such figures! It felt as though I was assembling and playing with a pretty expensive toy, and the small bits were hard to handle at first but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty fun to arrange and mix! I'm also pretty satisfied with the variety of posing possible from the additional accessories provided ~^^~

It still does get cumbersome at times when it comes to swapping out nendoroid parts; for instance, when it comes to changing the faceplate I have to take out the ribbons on nico's head as well. :c Maybe it's also because it's been too long since I've played with such toys!

This came with the accessories and I still haven't figured out what this is for...
[UPDATE: it's apparently stage gloves where you can pair up two of the girls and have them hold hands! Pretty neat... Unfortunately I don't have any more love live nendoroids for that!]

Also, after thinking it over I don't see myself collecting anymore nendoroids in the future, though I'm sure I may give in if GSC pushes out even more of my favourite characters and/or I'm financially stable enough to get them. |D

And there won't be anymore Muse nendoroids after this line either... I have yet to get the previous version of nico (where everyone in muse is clad in the Bokura wa Ima no Naka de outfit) since I'm still wondering if I should get it for a wider variety of Nico posing and expressions! Other than that... Well, I guess there's no other choice... I will continue to support Nico through other means! So you may look forward (or be warned!) of future posts revolving around Nico! ♡

And that's it for Yazawa Nico's Training Outfit Nendoroid! Nico Nico Nii~ Readers, do you collect nendoroids? If so, who is your first nendoroid? Feel free to share in the comments below! ^^

Written by
ritsu