Opening Songs
OP 1 - Reason why xxx (Sayaka Sasaki)

Ending Songs
ED 1 - Plantinum 17 (Yozuca)

Genre: Action, Romance, Supernatural

Episodes:  12 * (Not counting recap episode)



It seems to be a trend within anime that anything that isn't from our world HAS to be sexy. Aliens? "To Love Ru" says hi, aliens from any planet can be sexy girls. Monsters? Many animes have this covered, Himari from "Omamori Himari" is a sexy cat girl, and the fire drake princess from "Maoyu" is quite beautiful as well. What about denizens from the underworld? "Highschool DxD" is the ultimate offender, and now we can add "Dakara Boku Wa H Ga Dekinai" (I'll be refering to it as "So, I Can't Play H!") to the mix. Its another one of those heavy fan service animes with nudity, action and cheesy romance. With a theme that concerns the demon world and its respective royal families, its very much like "Highschool DxD", but a little bit different at the same time. There's really not much else to say really, if you're a guy that likes his fair share of ass and titties (or just likes stuff like "Highschool DxD"), "So, I Can't Play H!" fills your needs nicely, and them some.



Lisara or Rias...take your pick guys!

The anime has some pretty good songs overall, especially the opening. "Reason why XXX" by Sayaka Sasaki is a pretty intense and epic song, though it goes along the line of being cheesy. Still, its the very pop-centric songs like these that make my blood boil whenever I listen to them, and I've added "Reason why XXX" to my playlist because of that, it does the job nicely. The ending theme is "Plantinum 17" by Yozuca, which isn't a bad song at all. It's rather upbeat for an ending theme, though it does sound a little generic. A tad better than a slow song, I suppose.



Rating: 8.0/10



I feel like I'm watching "Highschool DxD" again, which is a good thing. Not to be mean or picky when I'm always comparing this to "Highschool DxD", but it just feels so similar. Its based on girls from the underworld, it talks about high ranking families that go against each other for the sake of responsibility. Then we have the incredibly pervy main character that just wants to look at some raw boobies, and gets more powerful the more pervertic he gets. Kind of like Issei, but different. The anime progresses through a single, linear story line that spreads itself through all 12 episodes, which can be considered a good thing, instead of plenty of minor short stories followed by a final story arc at the end. The action is fine but there isn't anything too spectacular out of it, instead the points come from the plot and the romance. The romance segments, while cheesy, do come to a conclusive satisfying end, and I that's something I can relate to.


Stop! Double boob grab!

Kaga Ryousuke is the number one pervert in his school. His perverse levels are over the top, so much that he considers all girls his precious treasures. One day however, on the way back home to school, he notices a red haired girl standing outside his home in the rain. He brings her in, only to find the girl stabbing him in the heart with a broken sword. He awakes, surprised that he is still alive. The girl introduces herself as Lisara Restoll, a grim reaper of high nobility, and she is in Earth to look for the ultimate energy source in a human. In other words, she needs a temporary energy source until she finds her objective, and that energy source is Ryousuke. However they are attacked by a demon, and Lisara soon realizes Ryousuke's special talent. His energy levels skyrockets when he is aroused by his sexual desires. With a hot girl like Risara, this can't mean well for her....


Fan service animes will always have considerable amounts of exposed titties, so there's really not much to hate if you're a guy. If you enjoy these cross universal action/supernatural/romance plots, "So I Can't Play H!" is actually pretty awesome when all is said and done. The progressive plot, good character development and satisfying ending all add up, making it a great anime experience overall. Just make sure you're okay with some nudity.


Peace.

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Super slapstick (Gj-Bu review)



Opening songs
OP 1 - Moso Kokan Nikki (Otome Shinto)

Ending songs
Too many to list*

Genre: Comedy, Slice Of Life

Episodes: 12



Remember "Seitokai No Ichizon"? Remember "K-on"? Screw it, remember all those animes that you've watched which featured nothing but focusing on the life of a bunch of high school students in a school club? Because I sure do, and there's a ton of these titles out there, just scroll through my list of reviewed anime and you'll more than probably find more than 10 of these animes. Having a club is cool and all, but having an entire season circling around this exact same club with 1 guy and a bunch of girls has become a genre mainstay in the anime industry nowadays. "Gj-Bu" is another one of those animes, and it doesn't do anything too special to differentiate itself from the rest, nor does it actually suck at what its doing. It gives out a vibe of being "just there", which isn't exactly a bad thing. If you've got nothing to do on a Friday night, and you don't really feel like watching anything too extreme, "Gj-Bu" is one of those animes that you can pop in and just watch for no reason.



Hahaha! We will take over the world!

"Gj-Bu" is another one of those animes with a lot of ending songs, so I won't be covering them. There's 4 of them, one ending every 3 episodes or so. Given the theme of the anime though, the opening song fits extremely well. "Moso Kokan Nikki" by Otome Shinto (probably the seiyuus of all the girls in the anime, I'm not sure, need confirmation on this) is easily one of the most catchy opening songs I've heard in a very long time, especially the opening segment, its gold. It really makes you feel like you're watching one of those slapstick comedy animes.



Rating: 7.0/10



As I mentioned earlier, there's nothing too special about "Gj-Bu" that separates it from other animes with the same theme and genre. While it manages to be funny at times, it doesn't cap out at the levels of "MM!" or "Seitokai No Ichizon" when it comes to comedy. What's more, most of the time that the club spends is inside the club room, so we don't get many different interesting scenarios outside a small few unique situations. The characters are pretty okay, but a few of them are pretty much generic stereotypes you can find in any other anime. The main character is alright, and some of the side characters are arguably better than some of the main cast, so its quite unfortunate that we don't get more screen time on some of these characters. If they would explore more ridiculous situations, this could have been an overall more entertaining series.



Dat bust!

Shinomiya Kyoya is a pretty generic dude. Nothing stands out about him, all he does is read manga, and he knows that he's just some generic high school student in the midst of thousands of them. He belongs to the Gj club, a club that pretty much does nothing and has a ridiculous rule that differentiates it from the rest. As long as you are caught loitering outside the Gj club's club room, you will be abducted and you will be forced to become a member of it, that's how our unfortunate main character ended up here. The 4 girls in the club dubbed him as Kyolo, for being nothing but a generic idiot. The other 4 girls in the club pretty much do their own things, since there aren't any restrictions placed. Kirara is always eating, the loli prez is always reading manga with Kyolo, her sister Meg is always pouring tea, and the prodigy Shion is always playing virtual chess on the club's PC. And that was how they spent their high school lives.


That ends today's post. "Gj-Bu" is getting a season 2, according to some news I read at ANN. If its true, then its good for the series, it might get some more exposure, as well as another chance to make the series better. As for this season, its generic, and while its not bad, its not something you can't find elsewhere that has done it better.


Peace.


Monday 28 October 2013

7th Dragon 2020 II

Gamespot Score: n/a

My Score: 7.8


(+) Pros: - Overhauled to feel even MORE stylish than before, - Classes for all characters have received tweaks, - New Idol class for those looking for new play styles, - Even more select-able voices than the first game, - New music is badass, old music is still badass, - Combat and dungeon crawling still remain fantastic, - A lot more challenging, even for veteran players, - Still has an amazing amount of content packed in.

(-) Cons: - Feels very similar to the previous game, - Some maps and bosses are recycled from the first game, - Still retains most of the problems from the first game.


Gameplay time: 30-40 hours 




Remember "7th Dragon 2020"? It was a game I reviewed a few months back. Being a dungeon crawler with your own customizable party, I was immediately sold, and I wanted to see what the game could offer. Of course, you all knew how it went, I loved it, and it was one of the better games the PSP had to offer. It had undeniable charm, simple but solidly presented gameplay, and a lengthy campaign with a great deal of content, enough to please even the hard core players who play the game to reach 100% completion (like me). I didn't expect a second game, but since it existed, it could only mean that I would throw myself into the fray once more.


The story takes place after the events of the first game. A year has passed, making the year 2021. The 13th (Thats you) squad has still remained faithful to Murakumo, and things have been running along smoothly. However, a sudden emergency transmission could only mean that monsters have started to appear, and in what better place for an attack than Tokyo Tower? Our heroes rush there, only to find a new menace that could once again threaten the very existence of mankind. Kirino, the leader of Murakumo, was heavily wounded, both physically and mentally, and was no longer fit for command. With the appearance of dragons taking over Japan once again, its up to the Murakumo's 13th squad to defeat all the dragons and save the day.



LEBERU UPPU~~~

If you don't know the nature of "7th Dragon 2020", I'll briefly explain it. Its similar to most RPG turn based dungeon crawlers out there. You get to create your own characters, you add them to a party, and you're good to go. At any time throughout the game in your room, you may create even more characters of different classes, and you can swap them in or out of your current party, which can only hold 3 characters. You then explore dungeons, either for the purpose of the story or to fulfill the requests of Shizuka, the new side quest giver. In these dungeons, you fight monsters....or dragons, the hefty overlords that reside in every dungeon in the game.


In "7th Dragon 2020", the game was ridiculously stylish in many ways, especially in its presentation of the world, its characters and the overall theme. It retains that feel here in "7th Dragon 2020 II", and then some. Sure for the veterans, it remains mostly the same, but the design of the characters and world is just too good to not take notice, even if its my second visit to the game's world. The new Murakumo HQ is just filled with awesomeness, and while the entire office building setting was cool, taking refuge in the new Diet Building was quite a treat.



The new Idol class is a lot of fun.

Now for one of the main juicy parts of the game, character creation. Like in any similar dungeon crawler, you get to create a group of characters that vary from different classes. While most of the classes have been brought over from the first game, they have received tweaks here and there. Some classes that were considered weak or under powered had their numbers brought up, or were just given new skills overall (Samurai, Hacker), while some others just remained the same with some of their numbers brought down (Destroyer, Trickster). However, the main meat here is the new class, Idol.


The Idol plays very differently from other classes. Think of them as offensive hackers, without the same level of supportive abilities or sabotaging feats. They rely on making the entire party move, and while they can give out buffs of their own altitude, the good ones usually have negative side effects. They can do damage on their own, but in the end, like the Hacker, they depend on the team rather them themselves (unlike Destroyers and Samurais). Seiyuu variety has also been brought up quite a notch, a little bit more than the first game could offer, which is always welcome (I finally get Kana Hanazawa and Kanae Ito as voices for my characters!).



Die crab!

The OST was one of the many great things about "7th Dragon 2020", and its a good thing that they brought back the music, especially the "Versus Rival" theme (honestly if you've never heard it, you're missing out). While the old music is still incredibly relevant in this second game, the new music introduced to the second game is also badass as all hell. With dubstep in the dragon encounter theme, it just escalates the intensity of the fight 10 fold! 


Turn based combat is still pretty  fun, as you train and level up your characters. SP is attained from defeated monsters, bosses, or by completed Shizuka's requests, and you can use these to upgrade your skills or learn new ones. Like before, most of the skills look great when used in combat, and all this translates into a bigger picture. As you defeat dragons while roaming the many dungeons in the game, you get DZ, a currency which you use to further upgrade your facilities in the Murakumo HQ. This is a system similar to that in the first game. Upgrading facilities improve your combat experience overall, with better, weapons, skills and much more. You even get to toggle Diva mode again, aka, Miku music.



Oho, two dead party members on turn 3? You're screwed.

"7th Dragon 2020" was a hard game, I'm glad to report "7th dragon 2020 II" is even harder! This may be a huge slap in the face for newcomers (that's just the kind of game this is), but veterans might find this to be pretty awesome. I found the increase in difficulty to be a great challenge, the new dragons are incredibly powerful (Tiamat is a ridiculous first boss) and they made some of the returning dragons stronger. The main campaign is pretty lengthy, slighter longer than the first game if I had to compare, and with the side quests PLUS post game content, I'd say that there's a lot to keep everyone going.



F**k this level bro.

While I really enjoyed myself with "7th Dragon 2020 II", maybe even more so than the first game, it goes without saying that most of this game feels a little bit recycled from the first. More than half of the maps are from the first game, with just the layout and the monsters in it changing slightly. Out of the seven main dragon bosses, 3 of them are old bosses. It even retains the problems which the first game had. Its a different game overall, but you feel like bits and pieces of it here and there are pretty damn similar. When you take that into account, its hard to give this game a higher rating than the first.


As a sequel, I'd say "7th Dragon 2020 II" does its job well. It could have been a lot more, but as it stands its still a very fun JRPG dungeon crawling experience that very few other ones can match. It has charm of its own, and the new class helps, but I feel that it needs more if the series wants to continue growing. In its current state, it does a good job, but any more of the same and it might get stale.




Happy gaming!


Opening songs
OP 1 - Follow Me Feat.Sound Around (Seira Kagami)

Ending songs
ED 1 - Destino (Alchemy +)

Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction, Romance

Episodes: 13 (50 minutes per episode)



Okay so its been awhile since I watched a long anime that's more than your standard 12-13 episodes with each season. "Tenchi Muyo! War On Geminar" is only 13 episodes long, but each episode is a good 50 minutes, so we can just treat this as a 26 episode anime, which is something I haven't tackled in quite a long time. Fortunately, I was suckered into this one, because it has become one of my favorite animes up to date. "Tenchi Muyo! War On Geminar" is a high school harem anime with a surprisingly deep plot, an awesome main character and tons of great mecha action. To add on, even as a harem anime, the amount of girls in this one is over the top (see above image), so in a way, there's a crap ton of variety for those of you that like to choose your favorite girl. Its definitely safe to say, even if you aren't into mecha animes, "Tenchi Muyo! War On Geminar" is an anime that you should give a chance.



Holy shit.

The opening song is "Follow Me Feat.Sound Around" by Seira Kagami, which isn't a bad song to use for an opening. However. while it isn't a bad song, I did feel the need for a more "badass" song to be featured as an opening, this one did fit the theme for about the series, but when things heated up, it would have been better to have a more rock-esque song to be used for a second opening. "Destino" by Alchemy + is pretty slow song, which is kind of expected when it comes to ending themes. Nothing to see here people, lets move along!



Rating: 8.5/10



I am not stingy with my ratings (that's probably why I have so many animes in my recommended list), and I won't be stingy towards this anime. It seems like I always get suckered into loving the shit out of mecha animes, even though I'm not really a mecha person myself (Eureka Seven and Code Geass are some of my all time favorites). "Tenchi Muyo! War On Geminar" just has too much to offer, too much of the things I love in anime. I love harem and school life themes when done right, and the setting in this anime is just too good to let up. School life segments are done well, and generic situations where multiple girls like the main character are brought to a whole new level (imagine an entire school's female population coming after you). The main character is awesome as hell (he's funny, strong, and NOT overly dependent on others) and the mecha on mecha action is superb. There's just a lot to like here.



Main character mechas always look way cooler than the generic ones.

Masaki Kenshi is a boy from another world. He gets sent to the current world for whatever reason, and he wants to go home. However, he falls into the hands of terrorists, whom tell him to kill the next heir in line, Lashara, before they send him back to his planet. He stupidly obeys, and because he is ridiculously skilled, he almost managed to successfully kill Lashara by himself. However, his Seikijin (the mechas in this anime) couldn't withstand the level of power he was exerting on it, and it broke down. Before long, he was captured. During his short imprisonment on the Swan (Lashara's travel craft), the Swan's crew treated him with proper care, so much that he felt like he was at home. However, the terrorists save him, only to attempt to kill him. He escapes, only to make it back to Lashara's craft once again. There, they nurse him back to health, and he thanks them. Now in their debt, he lives as Lashara's servant, attending a school for Seikishin (the mecha pilots) as a student and servant.


This was honestly one of the best animes I have watched in a long time, I really enjoyed my time with "Tenchi Muyo! War On Geminar". There was surprisingly a lot more in stall for me than I really expected, and everything combined together was just an amazing blend of many enjoyable genres. Its easygoing as hell when it wants to be, it can become an ecchi/fan service harem anime when it wants to be, it can be an epic mecha anime with huge mecha battle crusades when it wants to be, and when its all in one, its just an amazing experience.


Peace.





Opening songs
OP 1 - Fantastic Future (Yukari Tamura)


Ending songs
ED 1 - Baby Sweet Berry Love (Yui Ogura)

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Episodes: 12



This seemed like all the rage when it first came out, and all you well informed otakus will already know the story of "The "Hentai" Prince and Stony Cat.", just because of that title alone. Many will be mistaken, so I'll just clear this up, this is your everyday regular high school romance harem anime, the "Hentai" is just a tag added to the title. The word itself is even quoted, so there's really not much to be too excited or pissed off over. In all honesty, it doesn't seem like anything to special at first glance, but sticking to it will net you some pretty likable characters, though its nothing too amazing, emotional or touching at the end of it all. That doesn't mean its bad, the plot is decent, and gets pretty good towards the end, but it ends in one of those ways where you'll find yourself saying , "Not this shit again". 



Well, the girls here are more to the "Moe" side.

As with most anime that have harem themes and generally moe-ish character designs, "Henneko" opening and ending theme sound pretty generic, so those of you who've watched many similar types of anime will know what to expect. "Fantastic Future" by Yukari Tamura is a pretty energetic and somewhat catchy song, which needless to say, goes with the anime's theme, what it has to offer, and what's going on for the opening animation. Unfortunately, I don't really dig it, same goes for the ending theme, "Baby Sweet Berry Love" by Yui Ogura. It's one of the cutesiest songs I have ever heard, which I usually cannot enjoy. You all should know this already.



Rating: 7.5/10



So you all know how this goes already. "Henneko" is another one of those harems, with a guy getting into an unfortunate situations with some girls, and then he is somehow stuck to them like glue. While somewhat similar to each other, all of these harems have different plots and stories (though some of them have uninteresting plots), and surprisingly enough, "Henneko" has a pretty good plot, albeit it takes awhile to ramp up. It starts off fairly slow and uninteresting, but give it about the halfway point, and you'll be interested to see how things will go. And while there aren't too many characters, most of them are easily likable, and its hard to not like such an energetic and honest main character (not like most other ones where they just beat around the bush).


Ah, classic problems for a harem protagonist.

Yokodera is another one of your regular high school boys with no particular super powers, but he has one trait that sets him apart from everyone else. He is a renown pervert in his school, and everyone knows it. He joins the track and field team just to peak at girls all today, and he won't miss any chance to ogle at any decent looking girl he passes by. One day, his good friend talks about changing himself, and mentioning a cat god that can grant the wishes of any individual, with a twist. The cat god will take what you do not need, and give it to someone else. Yokodera meets a girl called Tsukiko during his visit to the cat god, and they both spoke to each other for awhile, realizing that they came for the same thing. Yokodera wants to lose his facade so he can be more upfront, while Tsukiko wants to get rid of unwanted emotions. Things however go out of hand when Yokodera starts to loose all shame to become the school's biggest pervert and Tsukiko becomes expressionless. 


That's all for this review. I'm sure for those looking for a harem with a good story, "Henneko" fits the bill, though I do feel that these regular slapstick high school romance/harem animes without specials twists can get pretty generic. You'll be able to see the plot twists coming from a mile away. Anyway, "Henneko" wasn't all the hype that it lived up to for me, but it was good.


Peace.


Opening songs
OP 1 - AI DO (Miyuki Hashimoto)

Ending songs
ED 1 - Kekka, Guuzen De Gozasourou (Aoi Yuki, Minako Kotobuki, Rie Kugimiya)

Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance

Episodes: 12



Well I sure wasn't expecting this. The first "Hyakka Ryouran" was decent at best, and I can't say I enjoyed it as much as I should have (I actually like fan service anime, as long as its not TOO much), I never thought that it'd be popular enough to actually receive a second season. Surprisingly, I thought that the second season was a lot better, despite my usual thought process about sequels being more or less the same as their predecessors. They introduced more characters (most of which are pretty likable and awesome), they f**ked around much more than they did in the first season, which was one of the anime's strengths in my opinion. Somehow, they also managed to make the final few episodes pretty epic, closing out the series in a somewhat satisfying way, unlike how season 1 concluded.



The main cast as maids~

Season 1 had an amazing opening song that was by Faylan, unfortunately season 2's opening song wasn't by her. However, "AI DO" by Miyuki Hashimoto sounds just as good as "Last Vision For Last", and does a fantastic job of fitting right into the feel of the anime. It feels badass as f**k, fitting for a samurai themed anime, though like I mentioned in my review of the first season, it didn't feel right as the anime is more comedy/fan service than action. The ending song "Kekka, Guuzen De Gozasourou", sounds pretty upbeat, and is honestly one of the better ending songs out there.



Rating: 7.5/10



The overall premise is more or less the same, but I feel that season 2 had a little bit more "life" to it more than season 1 had. Season 2 felt a lot more "fun" with its newly introduced characters (Keiji was a blast) and somewhat more easygoing story line. For those who watched season 1, there's still a good amount of fan service, though it seems to have been toned down a fair bit (except for some more tentacle rape episodes and Sasuke, a new character, who's basically a skimpier Felicia). Some villains have been introduced, but to be fair they just serve to be petty competitors with our samurai heroines than being true, big bad guys. Its an eventful season, that's for sure, and honestly that's what kept me interested the whole way.



Meet the villains!
Following the events of season 1, a tired Muneakira returns to the Yagyuu dojo after a long journey of self realization. Being alone for his entire absence from the dojo, he feels happy to be reunited with the his friends (or in other words, his "bitches"), but upon reaching home he realized that something has happened to the dojo. Due to financial issues, the dojo has been transformed into a maid cafe, and the tokugawa faction has been trying to raise money for everything that has happened. Since maid cafes were all the rage, that was the only choice they had left. Muneakira joins in as a butler, until the dark samurai appeared to crash the party. Apparently they were looking for a strong opponent, and a huge fight soon ensued, with Muneakira's side sustaining huge loses. Jubei lost her ability to become a master samurai, and Muneakira had a curse placed under him. Will our heroes pick themselves up?


That's it for this season. I didn't expect a season 2 out of the "Hyakka Ryouran" franchise, and after the ending of this particular season, I won't expect a 3rd one either, unless they pull something off again, of course. I enjoyed "Samurai Bride" more than "Samurai Girls", and its definitely worth your time if you liked "Samurai Girls". If girls with swords in the old Japanese era are your thing, then you might find yourself immersed in this series.


Peace. 

Yay for everyone's favorite skimpy princess!


Name: Merurulince Rede Arls (Meruru)
Traits: Use items, Offensive item bonus
Rating: 7/10


Meruru is like every other protagonist in the "Atelier Arland" series, she gains access to items and is able to use them in battle, that alone is a wonderful feat in a game such as this where most other characters aren't able to use items at all. You can't ever remove her from your party no matter what, but it doesn't matter since using items is pretty much a must at all times. However, she is a step behind Totori, whom is the best item user in the game IMO.


Meruru's item forte comes from using offensive oriented items. Bombs, meteors, salvages, you name it, these items get power boosts when she is the one using them. In many situations, this isn't TOO useful, as you'll be relying on your party members for damage, but in the situation where you have to depend on items for damage, Meruru does that well.  However though, such a situation will never come, as item users are mostly resorted to being support characters.



Every rich girl needs a maid.


Name: Keina Swaya
Traits: Support, Healer
Rating: 6/10


Keina is probably one of the only characters that isn't amazing in this game. She's fragile as all hell, she doesn't do a lot of damage, and well, she might not seem to be good for anything early on in the game. She CAN heal, but you won't be needing her for that pretty soon. However, if you actually let her gain some levels (even when not in battle), she becomes the ideal support character in the game which might fit your party if you do so need someone like that.


If you intend on using Keina, having her with the best weapon that you can afford is what you'll want. Her heal scales on ATK, and having the best possible basket means powerful heals. She can even revive downed party members (yes, multiple members at once), and you'll be finding this to be her most useful skill, until at least you get a good elixir. She can buff the party's ATK, and raise their crit chance, which is decent for late game, but eats up her mana. Her spot will be better used for a true DPS character, but if you need the extra support (as I mentioned earlier, the item users, Meruru included, can do fine supporting the team alone), she works.



Say hello to bjinn childhood friend #294.


Name: Lias Falken
Traits: Physical damage, AOE damage, WT manipulation
Rating: 9/10


Lias is pretty damn awesome, despite having a pretty shitty personality (until later, at least). He has decent damage, his normal attacks do AOE damage, and he's pretty much a party steroid for the early game, since he joins you pretty much instantly when the game really starts. You might think he falls off later on, but in the late game, his usefulness pretty much skyrockets, especially during bosses and if you have Mimi on the team. Mimi, Lias plus Meruru is probably the most broken combination in the game.


Late in the game, Lias's damage is pretty much only decent (we're talking about best weapons here when compared to everyone else), but with WT manipulation on so many of his moves...he'll pretty much make sure bosses don't get to move much, AT ALL. Without taking Mimi into account, he can pretty much duke out most bosses so that they only move once to your two turns. Throw in speed belts and suddenly you're rolling through even the toughest assholes in the game.



19 years old, still flat. By the end of the game, 24 years old, STILL flat.


Name: Totooria Helmond (Totori)
Traits: Use items, Duplicate, Magic damage
Rating: 8/10


Totori is Totori from her game, she's not much different. She joins you fairly early on, though she's not the damage you're looking for, she's more utility than anything else. And mind you, its good utility. She's my favorite item user in the game, and if you want to run double item users, Totori is your second go to choice. Also, since she can recover from KO through her OP passive, you'll pretty much her as a last resort character anyway, to save your team's ass in a pinch.


Totori retains what she's good for: Duplicate, a skill that makes you have pretty much infinite uses of every item, and if that item is good, you'll be rocking through long battles with your powerful items still available for use. Quick dupe is even better, as the item comes out much quicker, though the quality takes a bigger dip than usual. She can also do damage with her Chim N/A skill, though you won't really be relying on her too much for damage, its just icing on top of the cake.



B-b-b-b....baka!


Name: Mimi Houllier Von Schwarzlang
Traits: Physical damage, Speed, High evasion, Speed manipulation
Rating: 9/10


Like Totori, Mimi pretty much remains mostly the same as she was in the 2nd game...but better. Mimi is now one of the strongest characters in the game, from start to finish, she will never fail to impress. She deserves a spot on your team most of the time, as her damage and utility is just too good. In more ways than one, she's similar to Lias, but has better damage, though she does lack Lias's convenient AOE normal attack. And as I mentioned in Lias's description, Mimi plus Lias is pretty much an unstoppable boss killing duo.


Mimi excels in single target damage, though she isn't exactly the best of the best (still a step behind Sterk and Gio), but her utility in boss fights is just amazing. Having the ability to reduce the speed on bosses is great, as they get less moves and you get more. To top it off, the ability stacks, so you can continue to reduce the boss's speed as you like (while still doing damage), and when you need to deal damage, Spare Bolen is ridiculously strong and disregards enemy defense. Speed reduction plus WT manipulation = the OP Mimi Lias combo.



Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Puberty.


Name: Gino Knab
Traits: Physical damage, Magic damage, Tanky
Rating: 8/10


Gino is probably the character that changed the most from his transition to "Atelier Meruru". He is no longer the useless chap that he once was, and becomes one of the game's most prolific fighters. He is up there on par with everyone else in terms of damage, maybe even higher than some. He has gained some really powerful single target moves, and most of the time, he is probably one of the better characters to use for a long, drawn out engagement.


Gino has a boatload of single target damage, Hail Storm and This Parade are excellent sources of damage. Also, early on in the game when you do not have convenient healing, Gino can cover for that by being a damage sponge. He heals himself for some of his HP every turn, and takes less damage from elemental attacks. This will help you remain somewhat healthy as you explore some of the more difficult areas early on. Because of his natural bonus damage against bosses, it goes without saying that he will work pretty well against those long boss fights, though his mana is abysmal. If you want to use Gino, make sure to keep his mana tipped up at all times.



LOLIIIIIIIII~


Name: Rorolina Frixell (Rorona)
Traits: Use items, Support, Healer, Magic damage
Rating: 7/10


People might say that Rorona is terrible in this game, but it all depends actually. She's definitely slightly worse off than she was in the second game, but she's far from terrible. As I always mention, item users are more for supportive purposes, and if you want Rorona in you're probably looking for another support character. Since she can use items, I put her ahead of Keina in score, because whatever Keina can do, Rorona can do it as well (except for the team buffing).


Rorona's damage is pitiful, but her utility works well for her as a support type character. Hom M recovers ailments, and Hom F heals HP. Oh yes, Hom F heals HP...it even revives dead characters. Her evasion is high because of Small, and she uses items faster than anyone else, though the item effectiveness goes down whenever Rorona is the one using it. She fits in some situations, and if you need a sure fire way to spam items, you might want Rorona in (I find that she works well with Gino).



A 40 year old goddess.


Name: Esty Dee
Traits: Physical damage, AOE damage, Speed, Magic damage, Defense down
Rating: 9/10


Esty is the queen in this game. Not only is she stupidly good looking for her age (she's 40), she probably fights better than most of the guys in the game. Her normal attacks do AOE damage, similar to Lias, and she is probably the fastest character in the game, yes, even faster than Mimi. She gets reduced WT on her moves almost all the time thanks to one of her passive abilities, and being able to constantly do damage is probably one of the best things possible for a DPS character such as herself.


Esty is one of the top candidates to take along for a boss fight. Need single target damage? She does a boatload of damage, and often too, thanks to her innate speed along with her passive. Boss debuffs? She's got that going for her as well. Being able to reduce the defense of a boss is HUGE, just like Lias's WT down and Mimi's speed down. Combine her with a character with higher DPS for even better results. And need I mention this? She's pretty sexy.



How the f**k is he 41?


Name: Sterkenberg Cranach
Traits: Physical damage, Magic damage, AOE damage, Defense buff, Tanky
Rating: 8/10


Sadly for the believers of Sterk, he has long lost the title of king in the "Atelier Arland" series when it comes to the 3rd and final game. Everyone else has matured, and he is no longer the beast that he once was when everyone else is dishing out that much damage as well. Sterk, without a doubt, can deal very high single target damage, one of the highest in the game as well! However, the others aren't too far behind, and because he doesn't bring much utility other than a meager defense buff, he isn't the top of the list anymore.


If you need damage, Sterk is your man. There isn't really anyone else that fits the description for "raw damage" as much as Sterk does. He hits hard, and can do both physical AND magical damage, but that's pretty much it. Falken Wind destroys enemy mobs, but is rarely used against bosses (except for Wyverns when they call in their minion dudes). He's a pretty good damage sponge as well, when the need calls for it. Having him and someone like Esty together can really make bosses quiver (Esty reduces defense, Sterk crushes them with his massive damage).




Well, all hail the king.


Name: Ludwig Giovanni Arland (Gio)
Traits: Physical damage, Shadow, Multiple attacks in a single turn
Rating: 10/10


Enter Gio, the manliest man of all men in the "Atelier Arland" series. If you thought Sterk was manly, you never seen Gio in action. You can never get this guy on your 1st play through, but on your 2nd one you can. Trust me, when you finally get him, you will drool over his power. He has, without a doubt the highest damage dealing potential in the game, and when you have a passive that might have you surviving a blow when it would have killed you, you know you've hit jackpot. This sick dude helped me beat Airshatter.


First of all, his damage is on par with Sterk, or maybe Esty. That might not be the most impressive thing ever, but his first ability, Strike, allows him to go again after connecting. That means you have a chance to act multiple times in the same turn. It goes without saying that his damage dealing ability is beyond broken. He can deal so much more damage than anyone else in a single turn. His shadow ability allows it to replicate an attack he just did...you guessed it, that means more damage. SO MUCH DAMAGE, DIS OLD MAN.



My Party (I swap around these guys)
-----------------------------------------
Meruru

Mimi -|
Lias  --> I usually take them together
Gio   -|

Esty   -|
Sterk---->These 2 are usually together
----------------------------------------


The rest 
----------------------
Totori
Gino
Rorona
Keina
----------------------



Peace.

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Pervertic post 7: Whatever that arouses

I'm quite sure I don't need to say anything...


Name: Ikaruga
From: Senran Kagura


"Senran Kagura" has tons of girls with big boobs, but very few make it look sexy, Ikaruga takes the cake for being THE sexiest konoichi that the anime/game has to offer. Many of the girls get stripped during battle after they lose a fight or something, but Ikaruga has the most lewd transformation as far as things go. She is the most covered up girl after a shinobi transformation, and since she gets flustered/embarrassed easily, its only fitting that she goes from a fully clothed katana wielding shinobi to nothing but a girl with alluring black bikini. If I were to pick a single girl from the team, it'd definitely be her.



The most beautiful 40 year old around, because Japan

Name: Esty Dee
From: Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice Of Arland


I'm quite sure I'm in the minority here, since all I see are fanarts of Totori, Meruru and Mimi, but I think that Esty is easily the sexiest out of all the girls in the "Atelier Arland" series. She keeps saying that she's 40, what bullshit. She wants to hide her age, because I'm sure that anyone who looks at her wouldn't think that shes any more than 20. Because of the analogy that the girls in the "Atelier Arland" series can't have big boobs (with the exception of Pamela), I'd say she's plenty sexy, especially in the 3rd game. She's definitely got the most style in terms of dress code, and you'd easily want to look up her dress when she does one of those flashy ninja moves (too bad you won't get to see shit).



Nurse skin = best idea ever. GJ Riot.

Name: Akali
From: League Of Legends


We can talk about them "LoL" sexy bitches all day, but there are a few that nobody else can come even close to topping. Today's sexy league lady is Akali, the big busty Ninja that goes either top or mid. Akali's very existence is sexiness, just look at her. Her default skin is like that of a female ninja, and with the rules that spell "the lesser cloth the better", she is one of the most revealing characters in the game, I'm quite sure just fantasizing works. However, her nurse outfit takes the cake. Nurse Akali? Yes please. You can take care of me any day! Unfortunately, I can't play a half-decent Akali.



Please, keep yourself in check.

Name: Milla Maxwell
From: Tales Of Xillia


I've never played "Tales Of Xillia" yet, but I can easily tell you that Milla is the sexiest girl in the "Tales Of" series, hands down. Be it her outfit or her outfit in "Tales Of Xillia 2", she looks glorious as all f**k. The "Tales Of" series had always needed its own share of big busty women, and while there where girls of that category all around, Milla was the greatest answer that the serious could ever ask for. Having a sexy body with sexy and amazing outfits always makes a guy aroused, Milla takes the cake....and I haven't even played the game yet. You can be sure as hell I'll play as Milla....



A little sister with bust!

Name: Suguha/Lyfa
From: Sword Art Online


You know how everyone who watches "SAO" fanboys over Asuna like she's a goddess? Well, not everyone, but a majority at least. I will fanboy over Suguha/Lyfa any day, because I love me some boobies. "SAO" has its share of good looking girls, but I'll stick to Lyfa, because she has a few things over the other girls. One, she has a nice, curvy body compared to the rest of the other girls. Two, because of Alfheim Online's structure, she has a different avatar from her real world self (Suguha is sexy as well). Three, her outfit as Lyfa is freaking sexy. Yes, judging from pure looks alone, I'd say she dominates the entirety of "SAO" 's female cast.





Opening songs
OP 1 - Reunion (ClariS)

Ending songs
Too many to list*

Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance, Slice Of Life

Episodes: 16



Remember "Oreimo" back then. It was an anime about a certain "useless" big brother trying to help out his cute little sister whom he hated.  Slowly as the anime progressed the hate decreased and he came to care about her as a little sister...or so we thought. Here we have season 2, and I'm sure after all that happens in this season, many people will go scratching their heads and complaining about how stupid the ending was. I won't comment too much ABOUT it, but yes, like many of the viewers, I absolutely hated the ending. But for the anime as an overall, it took many steps forward, from just helping out a little sister to become more socially acceptable among her friends, to an anime about romance, love triangles and decisions. The anime has come quite a ways, but the ending just something I'd like to call, "Crossing the line".



There's more, apparently.

Like in the first season, "Oreimo S2" has a different ending for each episode, and most of them are sung by the seiyuus of all the girls in the series, mostly those of Kuroneko and Kirino, so I won't really go too deep about all the different ending songs. The opening song, "Reunion" by ClariS sounds super similar to all the songs that they usually sing, and its a good thing. ClariS songs sound similar to each other, but it works because their songs are usually catchy and have nice tunes to them. "Reunion" is no different, though I'd say "Nexus" is a step higher.



Rating: 8.0/10



For most of the anime, I was considering an 8.5 for "Oreimo S2", because of how much the series has improved in my opinion. It was funnier in most situations, we got development for many old characters, and there are plenty of good new characters to boot. Hell there were even plenty of moments where there were possibilities of romance, but alas, not everything is as good as you think. While there were many steps forward for the series (plot and character wise), the ending was an immense slap to the face (ask anyone who finished season 2), and honestly, I can't help but feel that it was more than inappropriate. There were people who despised the ending, for me, I just didn't like it that much, and it felt like all the character development was for naught...



You know what we're all looking at.

Following the events of the first season, "Oreimo S2" puts us in the shoes of Kousaka Kyouske, the elder brother of his sister, the problem child known as Kousaka Kirino. After season 1, Kirino still sought Kyouske for "life advice" like she always has, though Kirino still hasn't shown any signs of affection towards her brother. Just when he thought that they would go back to their normal, ignorant lives, Kirino pulled him along to Akiba, telling him to hold her stuff for her. Welp, it seems like his dilemmas aren't over after all. Now he gets dragged into bigger problems, as other girls start dragging him into their problems relating Kirino as well, such as Ayase and Kuroneko. However, will Kyouske ever find true peace or happiness? Things don't ever go as it seems.


"Oreimo S2" is a step up in terms of story and character development, but the ending is something that not everyone will like, at all. High chances that people will freaking hate it as well. Though overall, it wasn't a bad run, with how everything ended, its highly unlikely that we won't see a season 3. However, if this was how it really ended, I can't say that I really liked the ending. For everything else though, I'd say it went pretty well, if you're willing to overlook some small issues here and there.


Peace. 



Ceaseless Discharge
HP: 4200
Skills: Tentacle pierce, Tentacle slam, Fire tentacle*, Swipe
Souls: 20000

Difficulty: 1/5 (Running), 2/5 (Fighting)
Times died on 1st playthrough: 1



There's not much left to do actually. Head to the Demon Ruins to partake in the final main segment of your journey, to kill Izalith, who has the final lord soul. Of course, the Demon Ruins/Lost Izalith segment is one of the biggest areas in the game, so there's still quite a ways to go. However, upon entering the Demon Ruins, the entire ground is stained in lava, making it impossible to pass. Thus, the only way to clear the lava - to kill the source of it. Meet, the Ceaseless Discharge, one of the 3 bosses of the Demon Ruins.


He's huge but that shouldn't mean you should be afraid of him.

Ironically, he's one of the easiest bosses in the game. You can practically defeat him without hitting him and fighting him up close. And, even if you choose to fight him, he telegraphs his moves so heavily that its easy to avoid most of them. He has some of the biggest damage spikes in the game, but no matter how powerful his moves are, they are all for naught if you are able to block or dodge them, which should be fairly easy.


Tentacle Pierce - He pierces the area in front of him with some tentacles. Easily avoided by rolling. Does moderate damage compared to other attacks.

Tentacle Slam - He slams a giant tentacle in front of him, leaving it there for you to hit. Does major damage, but easily blocked/dodged.

Fire Tentacle* - The exact same move as Tentacle slam, but leaves a burning cone of fire that does major damage. The additional fire spread can make it harder to dodge, and blocking it is suicidal without a power fire resistant shield. However, he won't use this move at all if you aren't too far away from him.

Swipe - He sweeps an entire area in front of him with a tentacle. Easily blocked.


First off all, if you want to kill this boss like everybody else, it takes almost no effort to do so. Un-equip all heavy armor and equip something that allows you to fast roll. Go pick up the Golden Hemmed Black Set to trigger the boss fight, then its time to run for your life. Sprint like your life depends on it, all the way back to the beginning of the fog gate. He'll probably hit you once because you're too focused on running and didn't dodge, but it  probably won't kill you. The moment you wake up, run again, he'll chase you. When you reach the bridge at the start of the area, he'll hang fall to his death, and will try to cling onto the cliff with his tentacle. Chop it until he falls, you win. 


That's a sure-fire easy way to kill the boss without any challenge at all, but if you want to fight him like a man, here's the run down. The only time you can hit him is through his Tentacle Slam move, which he uses pretty frequently. Just stand in front of him and 75% of the time, he'll use that move. Dodge it, and hit the tentacle to damage him. Rinse and repeat until he dies. If he does a different move, dodge it, wait for his next move, make sure its Tentacle slam, because you can only damage him if he uses that move.



Look here you big f**k

At all times, make sure you stand near him, he'll use any of his moves except Fire Tentacle, which is his most deadly move. It does major damage and you'll likely not be able to block it, the timing for dodging it is also more strict because of the fire damage spread. He only uses this moves if you stand at a moderate or far distance away from him, and will probably not use it if you just stay close to him. Just make him use moves, and punish him during Tentacle slam. He has quite a bit of HP, but you'll take him down easily at this point of the game.


And...that's it for this boss! He gives 20000 souls, not a bad amount for someone so easy. Unfortunately he doesn't provide much else, but at least you can proceed deeper into the ruins now. Onward! Oh, and I won't cover Demon firesage, as he's the EXACT SAME THING as Stray Demon.


Peace.