これぞロマン

人類衰退 ep.5-6

剛開始看電波跟妖精不能並存
再者P子無法探知眼前的妖精
還以為是科技/現實 vs. 妖精/幻想的發展

竟然是PIONEER跟VOYAGER!! :D

把究極浪漫代表物之一的宇宙探査機如此擬人化
還會不希望離開温暖的太陽圈到冰冷空蕩的宇宙
而且裡面的人還是水樹跟檜山
對我來説真是犯規啊

結果看完跑去找PIONEER跟VOYAGER企劃相關資料
看了一個多小時 XD

PIONEER 10跟11都早已失去聯繫
不過VOYAGER 1跟2依然健在
並持續向太陽圈外行進

不論是哪一號，都是在我出生前就已朝宇宙出發
幾十年間傳回了許多萬金也買不到的寶貴資料
當時的技術跟設備都不能跟現在相比（Atari跟Wii U的差別以上）
但是求知與探索的理由感覺更為單純
帶來的感動也更大

動力が有る限り
己の道を進み続けるがいい
宇宙の果てまで！

2012年 秋アニメ

I noticed the first episode of a certain fall series already aired. Needless to say, I was rather stunned. Is it that time of the year again?

Pre-air impressions based on the intro PV on Niconico. Beware of extremely long post.

BTOOOM！
- was meaning to read the original battle royal themed manga but will wait until after the anime
- script by Kuroda Yousuke, animation by Madhouse, ED by May'n
- seiyuu cast seems to be a mixture of leading newer ones and supporting veteran
= Watching

新世界より
- not really sure what this is about, but the 2-year gap is intriguing
- somehow I was reminded of Narutaru... orz
- all right seiyuu cast for me
= Probably trial watching

CØDE:BREAKER
- already expressed my worries a few times since the news of this came out
- surprised Okamoto with my autograph request (on inside cover of manga vol.1) back in July
= Watching

マギ
- never read the original manga but know this Arabian-themed(?) series has quite a following
- a bit worried at Yoshino being the director, but music by Sagisu Shirou is good
- seiyuu cast isn't announced at all...
= Watching

ROBOTICS;NOTES
- augmented SF series built on Steins;Gate's true end time-line (yet the game is unable to excel S;G)
- animation by Production I.G; should have good robots CG
- seiyuu cast seems to be a mixture of leading newer ones and supporting veteran
= Watching

PSYCHO-PASS
- psychology and crimes themed series featuring big names on staff, animation by Production I.G
- with Urobuchi as series draft and one of the script writers, you know this will be dark
- very heavy seiyuu cast. ED by EGOIST (it's no longer an artist that only exists in Guilty Crown!)
= Watching

リトルバスターズ！
- no idea what the story is about, but it's Key. Enough said.
- OP and ED by Rita, same as the game
- hopefully J.C.STAFF doesn't screw up...
= Watching

絶園のテンペスト
- haven't read the original manga but have been interested in it
- animation by BONES, music by Ooshima Michiru, script by Okada Mari
- very nice seiyuu cast
= Watching

K
- it's hard to say whether the story will fly
- ED by angela!
- very heavy seiyuu cast; I'm not sure what else is there about this series, though
= Watching

イクシオン サーガ DT
- story and visuals are pretty meh; why is it Capcom but not a game?
- pretty nice seiyuu cast, though I'm getting tired of hearing Eguchi...
- maid's cast is listed as ???, but everyone could hear it's Fukuyama XD
= Watching

ジョジョの奇妙な冒険
- never read this legendary manga series, but it's so famous everyone knows about it
= Watching

となりの怪物くん
- been reading the original manga and quite like it
- the PV is so deliberately misleading! XD
- Shizuku's voice is not close to my image at all, but otherwise not bad seiyuu cast
= Watching

神様はじめました
- read the original manga and found it fine
- same studio that did BRAVE10 and ZETMAN, so action scenes should be good
- not familiar with the heroine, otherwise very nice seiyuu cast
= Watching

武装神姫
- fighters kinda like IS, but a very degraded version of it
= Not watching

中二病でも恋がしたい！
- never read the original light novel since the story doesn't seem to be my type
- animation by KyoAni! (もったいない)
- don't care for the female seiyuu cast, but Fukuyama as male lead...
= Might trial watch

ガールズ＆パンツァ
- the tank theme itself might be interesting, but probably not in this setting
- I barely recognized two names out of the whole cast of new female seiyuu
= Might trial watch

さくら荘のペットな彼女
- was meaning to read the original light novel but will wait until after the anime
- script by Okada Mari, music by Hayashi Yuzo (Honey & Clover's music was awesome)
- seiyuu cast seems to be a mixture of leading newer ones and supporting veteran
= Watching

お兄ちゃんだけど愛さえアレば関係ないよねっ、好きっていいなよ。
- I think the title says enough
= Not watching

To LOVEる -とらぶる- ダークネス
- never touched this series
= Not watching

ひだまりスケッチ×ハニカム
- never touched this series (ゴトゥーザ様おかえり～)
= Not watching

ハヤテのごとく! CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU
- never touched this series
= Not watching

めだかボックス アブノーマル
- 2nd season; already read past this arc in the manga
= Watching

緋色の欠片 第二章
- 2nd season; I just want to get this one over with...
= Probably watching to accompany meals

生徒会の一存 新アニメ
- never touched this series
= Not watching

＜--no PV available for the rest, just one image & staff/cast info--＞
好きっていいなよ。
- been reading the manga and found it fine
- OP by the late Okazaki Ritsuko...
= Watching

バクマン。第3シリーズ
- this season will likely go all the way to the ending of the manga
= Watching

銀魂（第3期）
- I'll need to finish the 252 episodes from the previous 2 series first...
= Watching

ヨルムンガンド PERFECT ORDER
- 2nd season of a hardcore arms dealer series
= Watching

てーきゅう
- 2-min shorts, sports-themed?
= Not watching

うーさーのその日暮らし
- 5-min shorts starring Miyano Mamoru as a rabbit-like creature with bad intentions
= Watching

バトルスピリッツ ソードアイズ
- never touched this trading card game series
= Not watching

獣旋バトル モンスーノ
- collaboration between Japan and US; I don't do kids shows
= Not watching

超速変形ジャイロゼッター
- I don't do kids shows
= Not watching

アイカツ!
- I don't do idol shows
= Not watching

おしりかじり虫
- I don't understand this...
= Not watching

ライチDE光クラブ
- no idea what this is about
= Not watching

はいたい七葉
- only airs in Okinawa so probably not watchable
= Not watching

頭文字D　Fifth Stage
- never touched this series
= Not watching

蒼い世界の中心で
- this isn't a series, and ep.2 won't be aired until next spring
= Watching

Summary (total 39)
Watching: 21
Undecided: 3
Not watching: 15

As expected, there are too many series this season. Even though I listed 21 as watching, one is only 5-min, one is only one episode, and I won't actually start Gintama until I finish the previous seasons (lucky if it's mid-2013), technically it'll only be 18. There's also the possibility that I might drop shows after the first round of 3-episode.

If it weren't for the complains I have, CØDE:BREAKER would have been my 本命 for this season. As of now, I can't really pick one as the 本命. There are quite a few titles that I have been anticipating and have high hopes for, though.

As for the old series project, I'll probably be continuing Fairy Tail and Gintama for the next few anime seasons until I get up to speed on them.

Of course, as usual, I'll need to finish the summer season anime first...

Fate/Zero BD Box pt.4

Ever since receiving an email telling me that my order had been shipped, I'd been dutifully checking my mailbox for the Fedex notice. No sign.

Today I got a follow-up phone call from a Fedex guy, who was slightly baffled at the absence of the Fedex notice and gave me the tracking number.

Fate/Zero BD Box II has joined Fate/Zero BD Box I and the Fate/Zero Sound Drama CD set on the shelf~ :D

Now I just need to find the time to fully enjoy my purchases...

PSN (North America)

Since Tokyo Jungle is offered as an PSN exclusive for North America, I thought I'd check the price. For this game, I'd actually prefer English for easier reading of the animals' names and stuff, as opposed to katakana (ex. Pomeranian vs. ポメラニアン).

$14.99. Excellent price tag.

Then I browsed to the new release section for PSP... Final Fantasy III?! I thought I'd have to wait for months for this!! After a quick check on Google, I was told that it's also PSN-only for now (maybe because PSP is doing very poorly on this side of the ocean?)

$19.99. Great price.

Conveniently, I happened to have a $20 PSN card that I grabbed when I bought Assassin Creed the other day.

FF III is now in Lancelot (my PSP), quietly waiting for me to finish FF IV so I can start training up a party of onion knights! XD

On a side note, since FF III is a PSP game and has no trophy function, it doesn't matter which account I get the game from. When I get around to acquire Tokyo Jungle, however, the trophies I earn will be all alone on the North American PSN account, separated from all the other trophies on the Japanese PSN account...

Ah, well. Time to buy another PSN card so I can so I can roam the streets of Tokyo as whatever animal I choose. XD

舞台『真田十勇士～僕等が守りたかったもの～』

很難得在Niconico生放送上看到無料的舞台劇放送
題材又是平時在ACG常常看到的真田十勇士
就看了生平第一齣舞台劇
還算有趣～

劇本很イマイチ
還好避開了全滅結局
中間笑點跟吐槽點很多
殺陣跟決鬥演出不錯

主角雖然是猿飛佐助
不過最後繼承真田幸村之名的雪乃更像主役 XD

佐助→雪乃→幸村的一直線單戀
最後變成佐助→雪乃=幸村
佐助的心情一定複雜到不行ｗｗｗ

最有梗的笑點：
服部半蔵在鬼屋跟佐助等人對戰時
手機響起 （馬上想到FF:AC在教堂跟ティファ對戰時接手機的ロッズ）
然後很帥氣地舉起手指要施忍術的樣子…！
結果是操作smart phone XD
還説地點google一下就能找到 XDD

幸村向豊田側進言時
豊田側的四人是SEELE演出
而且豊臣秀頼的聲音是宮野真守 XD

望月六郎是海野小平太做出來的機器人
動力來源是埋於體内的崩玉寶玉 （想到閲讀中的キーリ系列裡的不死人）
然後那個寶玉拿出來根本是disco ball　XD

希望以後能在生放送上多看到這類節目～

ひとり吠え

超訳百人一首 ep.6

これメチャおもろいや～ XD

平安前期轉中期的過渡篇
聚集了前期歌人的綜藝節目
由男性陣參賽的牛車G1 Grand Prix in 平安京
訪談歌人們的定家部屋
平安牛郎俱楽部
連規則定好的熱血平安歌人札合戰都出來了ｗｗｗ

而且這話的音楽很突出，非常讚～

イナズマロックフェス

最近連續三天泡在Niconico看2009~2011的「イナズマロックフェス」剪輯SP放送

絶對領域的男人西川貴教兄貴果然是本物！
據猫所説，西川的key是女生的key
不過女性歌手裡要找音量這麼猛的也不容易
我只能想到angela跟水樹奈々，還有LiSA
不過LiSA對我來説幾乎只有爆音…

「イナズマロックフェス」是西川自2009年主催
在老家滋賀県琵琶湖畔為期兩天的地方音樂祭
邀請許多不同的音楽團體演出
第一天的最後壓軸跟安可都是abingdon boys school
第二天的最後壓軸跟安可則是T.M.Revolution

我當然是衝著西川去看生放送
不過毎年至少都有一兩個其他我有興趣的團體

2009年的也看了HOME MADE 家族跟UVERworld
兩個都是因為看Bleach而認識並喜歡上

2010年的SP長達六小時
大黑摩季我只聽了一兩首歌就跳到UVERworld

2011年有中川翔子，但是一聽到出場的吼叫我就放棄了 XD
Aqua Timez也是因為看Bleach而認識
不過非動畫的歌我就比較沒什麼感覺

abingdon boys school三年都唱了名曲JAP跟キミノウタ
整體來説我個人比較喜歡2009年的曲目

當初abingdon boys school結成的時候
總覺得不就還是西川主唱，跟TMR有什麼不同
不過看了live才知道差非.常.多
差在西川的服裝 XD

abingdon boys school比較是制服系
全員基本上都是一樣的服裝
TMR的服飾就比較視覺系的感覺（只限剛出場時）
連abs時的西川自己都説第二天是不一樣、稍微派手的人ｗｗｗ

2009年的TMR是紫色系
然後唱一唱就脱，到最後剩絶對領域 XD

2010年的TMR是筆頭裝，連眼帯都戴了ｗｗｗ
裡面是像藍色短兜加網状的服飾，楽手也是古風衣裝
然後一上場就是我非常喜歡的戰國BASARA3的OP Naked arms
不過到最後果然是剩露背跟絶對領域 XD

2011年的TMR是幸村裝，連頭髮都接了紅色的髮飾，遠看就像幸村的頭帶
裡面是像紅色短兜的服飾，麥克風架是入鞘的日本刀樣式，楽手也是古風衣裝
曲目除了一首劍心跟Bleach以外，全部都是BASARA
根本就是戰國BASARA祭，很燃很棒～
不過到最後果然還是剩露背跟絶對領域 XD
倒數第二首的時候不小心帶觀衆吼叫時音量放出太多，把麥克風唱壞了
現場重現麥克風破壞王之風ｗｗｗ

2009因為是第一年還蠻中規中矩（西川的意味）
2010開始有許多合演，浅倉大介也有出演一首
2011的安可有跟中川翔子一起唱空色デイズ
當然是技壓中川 XD
中川還是一如往常地意義不明超級high，然後下台前丟自創的名詞
西川就吐槽自己無法理解名詞的意思ｗｗｗ

有一天當天是西川生日
安可呼喊時，台下一萬多人唱起生日快樂歌
但是完全合不起來，幾乎聽不出來是什麼歌
西川安可出來時就給自己service，指揮全場重唱 XD
一唱完，HOME MADE 家族的Micro率領一群玩偶亂入
包括一隻Hello Kitty跟一個超大蛋糕玩偶
兄貴超感動之餘，在Micro想趁亂跟玩偶一起下台時
把Micro抓回來一起演唱一首歌

「イナズマロックフェス」生放送特別節目還有四個
這個禮拜也是沒得追夏番嗎 XD

異議なし！

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All (逆転裁判 2)

The defence and the prosecution have no objection to the game!

I've always wanted to play this acclaimed series for years and finally managed to acquire the 2nd instalment of the series some time ago.

This is pretty fun, I say!

There are four cases in Justice for All. The first case kind of served as a tutorial, so even without prior knowledge or experience, I fell right in step in no time.

The first 2 cases were pretty straight forward as to who the guilty party were, and everything was cut relatively clean. The third case offered a little more twist and a glimpse of the ambiguity of justice, crimes and human nature.

The fourth and last case was probably the same length of all three previous cases combined, and it was literally a turnabout trial, in more aspects than one.

I started out believing in my clients from the bottom of my heart like Phoenix Wright did, and I suffered the same anxiety as he struggled with the conflicting consciences and dilemma.

The conclusion for the last trial and the ending of the whole game were nice, with various individuals picking themselves up from they had fallen. And Franziska's crying face was the absolute shocking moment for me throughout the whole game! XD

By playing through the game, I kinda learned what happened in the first game, and will be expecting certain characters to show up in the third game as well. I like seeing such continuities, with everything coming back in full circles.

For the North American version, everything is supposed to be set in America. Except I didn't realize that until an incident involving the different position of the driver's seat for an imported car came up in the 2nd case. Other than that, I was able to play the game without having to think about where the events took place.

It might already be present in the game or added on as a localization flavour, but I quite enjoyed the witty dialogues and puns. I laughed out loud a few times, too. XD

The controls are intuitive, and I was impressed by the character animation. The music was meh for me most of the time, but they convey the tension for the moment and allow the player to gauge the situation. You can either load from the save point or the start of the chapter, but there's only one save file.

There's very little to none replay value for a visual novel-type game like this, so I guess I'll be selling it eventually... Maybe next year when I finish more games that can be sold as well.

Can't wait to play the first game to see what happened in the past! Now that I played the 2nd game in English, we'll see how the experience will exchange when I play the 1st game in Japanese. :Q

And hopefully Club Japan will be able to get the other three games I asked for...

誠意の差

Back in March, I complained about the event that put my relationship with Amazon.ca on the verge of breaking up. Since then, I've only placed 3 orders with Amazon.ca and I don't foresee myself getting anything else for the rest of the year.

No, I haven't stopped buying games online. I just started getting them from Amazon.com (and 3 from Amazon.co.jp, thanks to Friend K).

A couple of weeks ago, I placed an order for 2 games with Amazon.com... and got a cancellation/refund email notification a few days after the shipment notice. According to Neko-tan, the shipment was sent to a wrong address (not uncommon with the postal service down there, apparently...) and got rejected by the person at that address, hence the "returned by customer" as the cancellation reason.

With the rate difference between buying and selling the CAD and US currencies, I got a bit less back. Since it's a very small amount (less than $2), I just let it go.

A few days ago, just as I finished placing another order for games with Amazon.com, I thought I'd write a quick note about the delivery error and that they should watch out for such returns in the future.

When I returned from work the next day, I found a reply from Amazon.com in my inbox, apologizing for the delivery error and requesting for the exact amount so they could refund the difference.

Now, there was another thing with the Amazon.ca incident in March that I didn't include in the previous post. One side of the limited edition package (paper box) was squished and kinda ruined when I picked up the shipment. To this, Amazon.ca offered to refund 20% of the price if I wanted to keep it, or a full refund if I returned the whole thing.

What, so I could re-order the item and pay another $35 to pick up the $40 item again??

Everyone I told the story to thought those offers were lame and urged me to boycott Amazon.ca for it.

Other than that, Amazon.ca's reply only mentioned that they'd pass my message to their shipping department so they can watch out for future squished shipments. Nothing about compensating the customer for the trouble caused by their change of delivery means.

While the amount of "loss" is smaller for Amazon.com in the currency difference case, I'm almost certain that if it (the March incident) were Amazon.com, they would have offered something just for the extremely bad delivery experience, even if the limited edition paper box wasn't damaged. Amazon.ca, on the other hand, would had offered nothing if the shipment was intact.

This difference in customer service is what makes me a loyal customer, or not!

I buy most of my anime from Right Stuff (some from Amazon.com or Anime Expo) and games from either Amazon.com or local game shops. Even got myself a PSN card the other day so I can also buy from the North American PlayStation Store.

Is there any reason for my relationship with Amazon.ca to continue? Hmm...

ひとり吠え

ココロコネクト ep.5

そう来るのか？！
やられた…　(;´ Д`)
流した涙を返して！

でもよかったー　（つд｀）

まあ、落とされた前に携帯を渡したのはちょっとヘンな気遣いだと思ったが
まさか本当にヒントになるとは

次は新章突入
今後どうなるか？！

DS, or PSP: that is the question

I've had Lancelot (my PSP) for over a year and a half now. Unlike Guren (my NDS), who's seen many cleared games, I've beaten ZERO game on Lancelot thus far.

While browsing the PSP games I had neatly lined up on the bookshelf alongside games for other systems, I thought it's time to change this sad fact.

My gaze met Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection and paused, recalling the DS version that I have yet to beat. But it's been almost a year since I last played it, now I have difficulties remembering where and why my party was situated at the particular location upon loading the game.

Maybe I can just go ahead and start on the PSP version, then go back to the DS version with all the events still fresh on my mind, and be able to continue my journey?

With the above intention, I took out said game and started Lancelot (after charging it for a few hours, of course).

Right off the bat, FF IV CC gives you the option to pick the core game, Interlude, or The After Years. I had originally thought a walkthrough of the core game would be a requirement to access the other games, so this is nice.

The core game is based on the GBA version, with 16:9 enhanced 2D graphic thanks to the processing prowess of PSP. There are also the options to change the language of the text between English and Japanese, and the soundtrack between the original SNES score and the new arrangements. You can choose to install data which supposedly reduces load time significantly, and there's a gallery mode featuring Amano Yoshitaka's artworks that can be unlocked.

Everything sounds great, right? Then what's the problem?

I'm having trouble getting used to the shiny 2D character sprites. orz

While the 3D graphics for the DS version isn't anything to drool at given the specs of the system, it presents a fresh visual for the characters and the world. And I wouldn't be comparing the 3D graphics against the original SNES 2D graphics, like I would with the PSP version.

I was expecting the core game in FF IV CC to be the SNES version, so it was quite a shock and disappointment when I discovered the "prettier" sprites. Sure, the original 16-bit sprites were primitive, but I find those pixelated images more expressive and endearing. Somehow the high-resolution sprites make the characters more... blend and generic to me.

At the end, though, I think I might just bit the bullet and play the core game on FF IV CC. The GBA version it's based on did have one or two different dungeons. Maybe the shiny makeover will grow on me a few hours into the game...

Since the difficulty is set easier than the DS version (in which my party was annihilated a few times already), it shouldn't take too long to get through. Then I can go back to have a more satisfying experience with the DS version, before tackling Interlude and The After Years.

On a side but completely related note, FF III is coming out on PSP on Sept 20 in Japan!
It's based on the DS version with improvements!
I so want it! :D

But there's no words on a release for North America yet! T__T

ひとり吠え

Accel World ep.15

老實説我無法理解為什麼能美事件會被弄得好像嚴重無比
那種威脅其實解決的方法應該很多
因為是主角這種鬱陶しい又畏縮的個性才能奏效吧…

鮪魚怎麼好像常常配到這種令人厭煩的主角ｗｗｗ
不過他的泣きそう聲真的很到位 XD

Ash兄果然是いい奴～
台詞講沒兩句就撂意義不明的英文
鈴村一定配的很歡楽ｗｗｗ
就知道那個看來需要很花時間畫的角色設計、配備、跟聲優
不會只是為了最初期被拿來當餌食餵主角的角色 XD

Sky Raker是遠藤綾～
雖然看角色形象，會下意識想到久川綾 XD
最近也聽到很多遠藤綾，很好～

√5がラゾーナ川崎にお邪魔します！～俺たちのハートビートを聞け！

ぽこたノリノリｗｗｗ
不管是唱歌還是訪談時間，風頭之健ｗｗｗ

原本沒在注意√5，不過自從上次聽了三首歌，開始有點興趣

這場應該是新單曲販售會的mini live
唱了三首歌：「MERRY GO ROUND」、「千本桜」、及這次宣傳的新曲「Love Doctor」

不知道是不是因為有五個人，卡拉OK調得很大聲
但是大部分時候都是一個人在唱，很容易就會被音楽蓋過去
除了音量充沛的ぽこた以外，領團的koma'n表現也不錯

問答是現在最想要的東西，跟第一次自己掏腰包買的CD
みーちゃん：時間；FF OST
蛇足：花嫁；鬼太郎的OST卡帶
koma'n：力量；FF OST
けったろ：小宇宙 XD；早安少女CD
ぽこた：不屈的心ｗｗｗ；我沒聽懂是啥，不過似乎是年代物

蛇足是最年長的35+歳（但是被問都會回答33 XD）
所以也到了想要成家的年紀，喜歡的類型是林志玲
然後因為年代的關係，買的是卡帶 XD

話説我應該是跟我弟合資（加跟父母凹）買的聖鬥士星矢voice drama卡帶
兩個除了招式名以外完全不懂日文的小學生就衝著聖鬥士的名字買了 XD
A面是銀河戰爭的星矢vs.瞬跟紫龍vs.冰河（vs.這個字我就是這裡學的）
B面是黄金十二宮篇時，卡西歐士犧牲自己讓艾奧里亞恢復正常那邊
看這種track list就知道不是正版的
不過當時也不存在正版這種東西就是
CD的話是在跳蚤市場看到的SLAM DUNK OST
而且沒看過動畫，單純衝著名字就買了…

けったろ説的是コスモ，也就是聖鬥士裡的小宇宙
然後提到自己毎週收看Omega
他是90年代，所以在原版聖鬥士播放時尚未出生
主持人就在旁邊吐槽説看過原版就會覺得現在的Omega人設過於可愛ｗｗｗ

話説前幾天有看到消息，十月開始√5將擔任Omega的新OP
比起中川翔子版的「ペガサス幻想」，我很期待√5的「新星Ω神話」～

放送的最開頭及最後加起來，放了√5全部三首主打的單曲MV
MERRY GO ROUND跟Love Doctor是illust版
寫實版的Love Doctor只放了前半
三日月姫則是寫實跟illust穿插，演出不錯，歌也很合我胃口～
不過放送聽了Love Doctor 2.5遍，之前ぽこた也有唱
結果害我幾個小時前看完到現在，副歌的部分還在腦中揮之不去 XD

五個人我只對ぽこた的歌聲比較熟
蛇足有聽過一兩首
其他人的歌好像都沒聽過
看了這個放送，對五人稍微比較了解一點點
有空又記得的話，再去Niconico找他們的曲子聽聽