Chic Pixel

On episode 21 of Chic Pixel Plus, I bring on regular extra Elliot Gay (@ryougasaotome) to talk about the most important game topic of our generation: kusoge. What are kusoge? Are they so bad they're good, or just plain bad? We talk about all that and more, plus, related news!

Games included in the discussion range from the Drakengard series to Friday the 13th, plus we get in some Seaman, Vangaurd Bandits, Disaster: Day of Crisis, and Dirge of Cerberus: FFVII talk as well.

This podcast was recorded early/mid-June and is going up quite late, much to my dismay, so while I talk about Puzzle Month, we're actually already in the midst of JRPGJuly! Sorry about that!

Opening ♫ - Life is Beautiful, Deadly Premonition
Closing ♫ - Seaman commercial

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I've been really, really bad about updating the site while I've been on my trip, and I feel horrible about it! I had all these grand plans to be covering things as I experienced them, but unfortunately I've been so busy that I've only had the energy to do quick Twitter and Instagram updates as I go along, for the most part. But to keep you all from thinking the site is dead, here's a very overdue Catch-Up Corner to get you up to speed with some of the things I've been doing!

Me with this awesome Free! mural in Akihabara!

First of all, if you're still not following me on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook and want to keep to date with everything I'm experiencing in Japan as it happens, please consider doing so! While I'll do more long-form coverage of some of the more standout things I've done over the course of the past couple of weeks once I get home in a few days, there will still be some photos/information on my social media that you probably won't see here on the main site.

While I was initially considering doing some out-and-about video coverage, I've found that I'm just too shy to film most things... Luckily, I've been able to take a few short videos, and have posted a couple of things I filmed from my University of Tokyo dorm. The video above is an unboxing of a Gatchaman Crowds rubber strap blind box. I was so excited to find some Gatchaman Crowds merchandise!

If you only have the time/tolerance to watch one video of me today, though, make it this one – it's an Apricotsushi Samples straight from Japan! Better yet, it's of some random "hangover remedy" drink I was handed in the streets of Tokyo, so you'll get to hear me talk about that whole experience, too.

Finally, I did a very short impromptu Apricotsushi Samples video of me trying lemon ginger foat ice cream on my Instagram, since it was too hot to carry it home to film properly. The video is available in two separate parts, so be sure to watch both! I suppose you also get to experience some of the summer Tokyo atmosphere – namely, cicadas and my sweaty face.

Well, there's a whole slew of video content that will hopefully keep you busy for a little while, if you haven't seen them already! I've got many more Apricotsushi Samples on the way, including posts about my various experiences, such as the Square Enix and Rilakkuma cafés. Sorry for the wait, but I hope you'll look forward to them!

Now that we're past the half-year mark, it's time to start thinking about the remaining Community Game-Along themes for the year! While some of you may want to continue your July JRPGs into August, for those ready to jump into a new theme, I've got just the thing for you: platformers! On a very basic level, platformers usually feature timed jumping over obstacles as a fundamental aspect of their gameplay. But, since they often cross over with other genres, that means there are near limitless options for games to play this August, so think outside the box and try to find something outside of the usual Mario titles.

If aren't familiar with my Community Game-Along events, the "rules" are simple – just play any game that fits the theme and talk about it with others! Feel free to post write-ups of your experiences on your own site, record a podcast, or use #PlatforMonth on your preferred social media. Of course, how you choose to share your experiences (or not), is up to you! If you're having a hard time picking a game to play, here are a few suggestions:

Klonoa: Door to Phantomville (PSone) – If you're looking for a cute, iconic platformer that doesn't feature a chubby Italian plumber, why not check out the Klonoa games? The original, Door to Phantomville, was remade for the Wii and is also available on PSN, making it really easy to pick up if you don't have it already.

Drill Dozer (GBA) – Drill Dozer is another adorable platformer, but unfortunately it's a little harder to get hold of, as it was only ever released for the GameBoy Advance. As one of the few non-Pokemon games developed by Game Freak, though, making it a unique, quality title that will be sure to please if you decide to go out your way to find a copy.

source

Dynamite Headdy (Sega Genesis) – Yet another colorful, yet obscure, platformer, Dynamite Headdy has been released for a variety of systems, including Xbox 360 and PS3 in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection and even Steam. The game's central mechanic involves using the protagonist's own head as a weapon, and the puppetry theme is very reminiscent of the recent Puppeteer on PS3 (also a reasonable choice for this month's theme!).

Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? (PSP) – Many of you are probably familiar with Nippon Ichi's strategy RPG series, Disgaea, but did you know that the adorable Prinny penguin mascot characters have their own action platformer title? While the original is only available on UMD, its sequel, Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! is also on PSN and can be played on the Vita. The games are notoriously hard, giving players 1,000 units to complete each mission, but fans of Disgaea's art style and humor might want to check one (or both) out.

Of course, there are tons of other games that fit the platformer theme, including indie PC titles such as They Bleed Pixels and Eryi's Action. I highly encourage you to seek out lesser-known games and share your experiences with everyone so we can give some love to platformer titles that haven't seen much critical discussion! As for me, I'll likely be trying out my copy of NIS's htoL#NiQ, so look forward to my impressions later this month.

Happy gaming!

And so it begins! In addition to my usual posts, August is going to be dedicated to recapping my two and a half weeks in Tokyo! I went to a bunch of themed cafés, so it only makes sense to get the ball rolling with a post about one of them. I give you... the Rilakkuma Café and collaborative exhibit in Tower Records, Shibuya!

Before I get to the real event, that is, the Rilakkuma Factory Tower Records Café itself, I'd like to briefly recap the cute Rilakkuma x Tower Records collaboration exhibit they had on another floor of the building. It was mostly just a chance for Tower Records to sell limited edition Rilakkuma merchandise, but I got a lot of cute photos!

This whole 8th floor of Tower Records was dedicated to this exhibit! I love the little streamers they hung from the ceiling. Let's take a closer look at some of the things they had on display...

Lots and lots of merchandise! Luckily, I wasn't really tempted by any of the collaboration designs, so I was able to save my money. Since this was only my first full day in Japan, I'd say that's a good thing!

The best part of the exhibit by far were these great cut-outs of Rilakkuma and his buddies, korilakkuma and kiirotori. This one of them looking glam is definitely my favorite!

Does the little yellow bird have Beatles hair, or so that a beret? It's a shame I was by myself and too shy to ask someone to take my photo, or else I would've gotten my picture taken with at least one of these Rilakkumas.

Hard rock bears! Forgive me if I've described any of these musical decades by the wrong name, I'm not to up on my popular music genres... I think the reason why I didn't really like the designs in this exhibit that much is because Rilakkuma isn't doing what he does best – relaxing!

I actually wasn't able to visit the café on the same day as the exhibit, as the line was too long. I ended up coming back during a weekday when it (hopefully) wouldn't be as crowded. I was also able to meet up with a Twitter pal, @abyssviola! It was great to finally meet her in person, and we were able to get into the café after only waiting about 15 minutes or so!

Here's the inside of the café itself. I love the industrial look of the ceiling, but it was slightly disappointing not to see more Rilakkuma stuff around! Oh wait, I think I see one now...

At least we were lucky enough to get this big Rilakkuma plush at our table! Each table was adorned with some kind or Rilakkuma plush or another (you can see a small one on the table directly behind my head). That was about it for Rilakkuma-related decor, though.

I was too distracted with petting the Rilakkuma plush to take a picture of the menu, but you can see the different items on offer on this sign outside. Since I hadn't eaten dinner, I decided to go with the only savory item on the menu, the Rilakkuma vegetable curry. I would've liked to try one of the desserts, too, but the prices were pretty steep and I was worried I might get too full from the curry, so I ordered the "Rilakkuma Irish milk" instead.

Here's the adorable Rilakkuma Irish milk drink! I don't remember it tasting like anything but milk, actually. But it certainly was cute!

Looking back now, this isn't really that appetizing of a photo, but there you have it! Rilakkuma curry. I love how they fashioned the rice to look like Rilakkuma is lounging in the curry. His "pillow" was made out of an omelet, and the white and tan parts on his body were cheese.

The drink and curry cost me around $20, which in all honesty, was rather disappointing. It felt quite expensive for the amount of food given, even if it was Rilakkuma-themed, and I left the café feeling pretty hungry! I should've ordered a dessert! Just for comparison, I got a curry and drink at another nice local café for about $13, which, while not themed, was much more reasonable. I can understand a slight markup, but an additional $7 for the Rilakkuma "experience" seemed rather steep.

I definitely don't regret going, but as my first themed café excursion, I was left a little underwhelmed. Luckily, I can say that this was probably just an example of an overpriced themed café, as the others I went to later on in my trip were much better value for money. Still, I'm glad to have been able to go, especially since it was only around for the month of July! Thanks to @abyssviola for joining me!

While most of the influential artists of my youth were undoubtedly Japanese, there is one non-Japanese illustrator I followed from a young age that stands apart from the others for her eerily beautiful style. I'm referring to none other than the Singaporean artist, Foo Swee Chin, who is an all-around amazing creator. I actually had the privilege of meeting her last year at a conference in Sydney, and she also happens to be one of the sweetest professional artists I've ever met!

An example of FSc's quirky, dark style (source)

☆ When did your first start drawing? Have you always wanted to be a comic artist?

I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. Drawing is a substitute for friends. I wasn't allowed to go outdoors besides school and the library. So drawing is like a friend. We travelled together. XD
The comic thing kind of happened gradually. I enjoyed making up stories and creating worlds so the best medium was comics. I submitted some drawings and short comic stripes to a student newspapers in my teens. They published them, so I continued to send them more. After that I uploaded some online and sent samples to Slave Labor only because I enjoyed reading the comics they published. I kind of never stopped making comics since.

☆ Many of your fans probably came to know you through your work on Nightmares and Fairy Tales by Serena Valentino. What was it like doing the art for someone else's story?

You are right, majority of them came to know my drawings because of Nightmares and Fairytales.
Serena was very nice and straightforward. She gave me a lot of freedom so it was quite fun to work on NNF. I didn't feel very stressed out.
She explained everything very clearly so it wasn't very difficult.
The only difficult part was that... being used to Japanese comics I found it hard to fit a lot of panels and dialogues into one page. But I got used to it after awhile, and now it is difficult to not over fill a page.

One of FSc's character designs for Wayforward's game, LIT

☆ Is Wayforward's LIT your only experience working on a video game? Is that something you'd like to do again in the future?

Kind of I guess. I did character designs for interactive games too but I guess that is different from video games.^^)>

☆ Interactive games still count! It's really interesting that you've been able to work on projects in different mediums. You've also had the rare opportunity as a non-Japanese to work with a Japanese publisher and have your comics published in Japanese. What was that like?

It was... I was very honoured. I felt very lucky.
It wasn't easy. Making Japanese manga is so different from making alternative comics. The editor and the manga artists have to work together as a team. I learned a lot from the experience. It made me humble.

A couple volumes of FSc's comic, MuZz, at Mandarake in Shibuya
(photo taken by me)

☆ Back in January 2013, you spoke at the Women’s Manga in Asia: Glocalizing Different Cultures and Identities conference about being a female comics artist with Japanese influences. However, your style is probably not considered very manga-like by some. Do you consider your art manga?

No. I don't anymore. I used to, simply because everyone said my comics are very manga. When I went to Japan I was told that my art is very European.
I don't know anymore. My brain is a mashed potato.

☆ I personally don't think it matters how you define it... Just keep drawing in your own amazing style! As for the future, what do you hope to be doing in five years?

I hope to get more art related work, at least enough to pay the bills and feed my cats XD
I'm open to any art related work, be it illustrations, concept visualisations, comics or manga, clothes designs, merchandises... galleries (that is if anyone sane enough wants to see pages and pages of scribbly wiggly black and white line drawings LOL)
But my dream would be to have my own comic/manga series which can support my lifestyle and pay the bills someday. That dream is getting more and more difficult by the second.

She also posts lots of comics about her life on her blog.
Keep at it, FSc!

A rather melancholy note to end on, but thanks so much to FSc for chatting with me about so many interesting topics! If you'd like to see what she's up to, you can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. She always needs the support, so to read or, more importantly, purchase her work, please head over to her website!

Now that I'm back in Australia and attempting (and mostly failing) to resume "normal" life, it's time to get back to my favorite/only weekly column: Catch-Up Corner! If you're new to Chic Pixel or just forgot since I haven't done one in a while, the Catch-Up Corner is my attempt to make a space to talk about things I wouldn't normally write a whole post about – a weekly roundup, if you will. This week, I'd like to talk about two games I started and the latest video on my YouTube channel.

First, after buying my fair share of exceedingly cheap retro Japanese games while I was in Tokyo (don't worry, I'll recount my haul very soon!), I decided it was high time to start chipping away at the old Japanese game backlog. I've always wanted to play one of the games in the otome series Harukanaru Toki no Naka de, and after buying yet another copy of the 4th installment by mistake because it was 100 yen (you know you have a problem when you can't remember what games you have in your collection), I decided that was as good a place as any to start.

I've only played a couple hours of HaruToki 4 (PS2 version), but so far I'm really enjoying it! The games are developed by Koei, creators of the first otome game series ever, Angelique, but are particularly unique for the genre in that they have RPG elements in the form of battles and character progression. HaruToki 4 takes place in a fantastical setting loosely based on historical Japan, and features one of my favorite story clichés: girl getting transported to fantasy world and turning out to be the people's last hope/princess/priestess. I'm surprised it took HaruToki 4 to remind me of this, considering I loved The Vision of Escaflowne and Fushigi Yuugi as a youth, but there you have it. I'm having a lot of fun playing a mystical princess surrounded by a bevy of hunky male protectors, so I imagine I'll be sticking with this one.

Speaking of fantasy princesses (how's that for a segueway), the other game I dabbled in this week was the new PSN release, Battle Princess of Arcadias! Ever since the game was announced for Japan, I've been enamoured by the gorgeous art style, and intrigued by its apparent similarities to Odin Sphere. From my limited experience with the game, I have to say I'm surprised with how difficult it is! I died right in the very first tutorial level, and multiple times in every level since. It's a 2D action game, which I've never been particularly proficient at, but Battle Princess of Arcadias really makes you work for the victories, and so far I've determined that you need to be willing to replay past levels to beef up your characters in order to push through each new area. If you want to hear more about what the game's all about, check out shidoshi's recount on The Nichiest Podcast Ever episode 10. I'll also have a full review in the near future, but I'm pretty positive about it despite the difficulty so far, and that's partly due to just how darn beautiful it is.

Finally, be sure to check out my latest YouTube video, which is an unboxing of my very first Re-Ments! Re-Ments are a brand of Japanese miniatures that happen to come in many cute character-themed sets, the most important of which being Rilakkuma. I grabbed three different Rilakkuma singles and was really excited to see what I got, so if a video of cute bear-themed toys sounds pleasing to you, do check it out!

When I realized I would be in Japan while the latest Studio Ghibli film, When Marnie Was There (Omoide no Maanii), was in theaters, I was thrilled. The last time I saw a Ghibli film in Japan was Ponyo, which was gorgeously animated but ultimately a little disappointing for me, so I wanted to see if Ghibli could outdo some of their more recent mediocre affairs. While When Marnie Was There's premise of a young sick girl who goes out to the country and becomes friends with another, rather mysterious, girl didn't seem all that enticing from a plot synopsis point of view, I went in hopeful that I would be getting another dose of Ghibli's magic on the big screen, well before the film aired in the rest of the world.

When Marnie Was There excels in subtlety through its depiction, and ultimately, transformation, of the melancholy young protagonist Anna. An orphan, she suffers from health problems and an introverted personality that have resulted in her not making many friends, nor opening up to her adopted mother. In an attempt to change Anna's scenery and hopefully kickstart her health, her mother sends her to rural Hokkaido to live with some relatives over the summer break. It's here that Anna meets the magical Marnie, who lives what is said to be an abandoned mansion. As their relationship grows and Anna learns more and more about mysterious building, she starts to question who, or what, Marnie is.

The film is based on a British book by the same name, but I wasn't familiar with the story going into the movie. I'll get my major gripe about When Marnie Was There out of the way immediately, though: I thought the film was a total drag. And by that, I not only mean it was disappointing overall, but it literally dragged plot and pacing-wise, making me wish they cut off 15 minutes (it clocked in at 103 minutes). The major plot reveal felt excessively obvious quite early on, so it made Anna's personal journey feel like even more of a slog. As the film crawled along, I found myself hoping she'd just hurry up and figure things out so we could both move on with our lives.

I imagine if you know the plot of the book, it's even more frustrating to sit through unless you have extremely fond memories of the relationship between Anna and Marnie. I hate to say it, but Roy Blakely was right:

I guess I should see that Marnie movie now which I believe is about two girls who say each other's names for 90 minutes
— Roy Blakely (@kotowari) August 4, 2014

I wish I could say the film was saved by Ghibli's trademark animation, but even that fell flat for me. Granted, their work is always beautiful, but there were no details or particular scenes that stood out to me for their animation in any way. On the other hand, Miyazaki's final film, The Wind Rises (another Ghibli excursion I didn't really like in the end) had a number of sequences that were memorable if for nothing more than their breathtaking animation, which I can't say about any aspect of Marnie.

If I sound really down on When Marnie Was There, do know that it really does pain me to be so critical of Ghibli. I, like many of you probably reading this, grew up on Ghibli films and consider the studio to be revolutionary for Japanese filmmaking and animation. But, sadly, Marnie could not hold my interest, though I did enjoy the care with which Anna's personality and mannerisms were portrayed. The Hokkaido setting was also appreciated, but I simply didn't feel it was animated with as much attention to detail as some of Ghibli's past features. However, I'm willing to admit that my overall perception of the film may have been colored by my dissatisfaction with the story, so it might be worth a rewatch where I focus my attention on the animation. Honestly, though, I don't know if I could sit through it again.

I left the theater wondering who Marnie is for – I doubt it will be able to hold a child's attention, and western fans who haven't read the book are apparently think the film's Japanese trailer makes Marnie and Anna's relationship seem more queer than it actually is. (I could write a whole article on this, but I'd rather not) Older fans such as myself may appreciate the subtle storytelling and melancholy mood, but if you're anything like me, you'll be left wishing Ghibli would go back to their more quirky, fantastical roots as the credits roll. Perhaps if you have a penchant for slow-paced, character driven flicks and don't go in expecting a classic Ghibli production, you may enjoy When Marnie Was There more than I did.

There's a lot of horrible things going on in the world right now, and it's starting to wear on me, but that's all you're going to hear about that here. What I can do, however, is share something a little personal and hopefully a little uplifting in light of all the current news. At the very least, I hope it makes you smile!

I don't believe I've ever mentioned it here, but I really admire Kaila, Kawaii Ambassador of the Philippines (official title!), as well as creator of Rainbowholic and Kawaii Philippines and co-creator of the amazing site Japan Lover Me. She's only 21 years old, but she's something of a social media celebrity if you're into anything Japanese and cute, and she's currently involved in putting on Kawaii in Manila 2, the second year of the first ever "kawaii convention" in the Philippines.

If you're not familiar with any of those sites and you're a fan on this blog, I highly suggest checking them out. While Kaila isn't as nerdy as me, she definitely appreciates many of the same things about Japanese culture and entertainment as I do, and I strive to be half as motivated as she is! She and the other folks behind Kawaii in Manila started the event to bring kawaii Japanese culture to the Philippines, but they also recognize that there are many of us around the world that wish we could attend... which is why they started the Worldwide Kawaii Campaign!

The Worldwide Kawaii Campaign encourages everyone to take part in the festivities by sharing what kawaii means to you. All you need to do is create an A4-sized poster answering that very question and take a photo of yourself with it like I've done in the above photos. Then, share it on your blog/social media accounts to spread the fun! You can also email your submission to the Kawaii in Manila folks to be in a photo compilation that they'll display at the event itself. Apparently they will even be giving out special prizes to stand-out entries, though they haven't revealed the details of that yet.

Kawaii is a great word that I think really means more than its dictionary definition of "cute," so there are a lot of ways to approach this project! I originally thought of the rather cliché "kawaii is anything that makes you smile," but I quickly realized that one of the example submissions basically said the exact same thing, so I had to come up with something a little more unique! Since "kawaii" to me is all about expressing myself in whatever way makes me happy, rather than worrying about what others think, I decided to go with "kawaii is fearless self-expression." I've decided to submit the very first photo in this post, since that's the one I'm happiest with, but here's an example of one of my nerdier photo attempts:

Whether you're into kawaii or kakkoi (cool), what's most important is doing what makes you happiest. And, if you decide to join the Worldwide Kawaii Campaign, do share your photos with me! If you'd prefer not to go to all the trouble, but feel a special connection to the word kawaii like I do, why not share with me what kawaii means to you in the comments?

I've always said that the best kind of nerdy fashion is that which incorporates nerd/geek culture in an interesting yet trendy and not completely obvious way, and this new Card Captor Sakura bag line by the Japanese brand Super Groupies does exactly that. They manage to be adorable and functional without screaming "I'm from an anime/manga series!" but also have lots of details that will most certainly appreciate. Let's take a look!

The largest bag, pictured at the top, is a "roll Boston bag" and priced at ¥7,800, while the smaller shoulder bag is ¥4,800. The small red Clow book pouch is for organizing your things within a larger bag, and is priced at ¥3,800. Both larger bags feature iconic bows similar to those found on Card Captor Sakura's many outfits, but a closer look reveals a lot of cool details:

The zippers are shaped like Sakura's sealing wand when it's in key form!

The inside of each bag is even patterned with a Card Captor Sakura-style print!

Here's closer look of the print, as seen in the Clow book pouch. The pattern of Sakura, Kero, Spinel, and various accoutrements is really special.

Both bags also have a faint embossing that says Card Captor Sakura, along with a cute star pendant hanging from the bow.

Finally, here's a close up of the Clow book pouch. I really love the design on this one!

Card Captor Sakura-inspired bags aren't the only CCS items Super Groupies is offering, though they're definitely the most exciting.

It's hard to make out the design by the ankle, but there are also these Kero "tattoo" stockings. I'm not actually all that fond of these... I think I'd much prefer a pair of stockings with a full pattern like the one featured inside the bags, even if it is a bit flashy (what can I say, I like flashy stockings).

Super Groupies also offers a number of other anime-inspired items, including some gorgeous Revolutionary Girl Utena shoes. I can't say yet whether or not I'll spring for one of the Card Captor Sakura bags, but I know at the very least that I'll keep this brand on my radar from now on!

The Alice in the Country of Hearts series by QuinRose is otome game series that fans have been clamoring to see released in English since the first game was released in Japan on PC back in 2007. Loosely based on Alice in Wonderland, the series is highly regarded for having sharp writing and a refreshingly spunky protagonist, along with a slightly sadistic yet colorful set of suitors. Largely due to this series, developer QuinRose is now a household name for otome game fans worldwide, and the Alice games have even spawned a number of very successful manga adaptations and spinoffs, many of which have been released in English and frequent the New York Times best seller list for manga.

Needless to say, the series has a well-established western audience that has been eagerly awaiting the release of the Alice in the Country of Hearts game for many years. Why is it, then, that when QuinRose finally brought the game over to their English-speaking fans, they couldn't even grace it with a serviceable localization?

Alice in the Heart ~Wonderful Wonder World~ is an iOS/Android port of the PC/PSP remake of the original Alice in the Country of Hearts ~Wonderful Wonder World~ game, which, most notably, featured a complete art overhaul. The first thing that caused alarms to go off for me when I learned of the Alice in the Heart release was the title. Why would QuinRose choose to localize the title as Alice in the Heart when the series has already been established by a number of publishers from TokyoPop to Yen Press as Alice in the Country of Hearts in English? Immediately, it breaks continuity from the very popular manga, and also gives an extremely poor first impression for just not making any sense.

Luckily, the prologue and episode one of the game are available for free, so people can try it out before committing to buy it. All of the screenshots included in this article are from the prologue, as I honestly couldn't bring myself to play any more. I was prepared for a mangled translation going in, and while at first I felt a combination of amusement and disappointment, as I read on, the amusement faded until I was left feeling nothing but frustrated and sad about the state of Alice in the Heart. While I have the Japanese version of Alice in the Country of Hearts for PS2, I was prepared to purchase the version with Japanese voiceovers for $37.99 (it's $24.99 without voiced audio) just to show my support for this and more otome games being localized. Now, I want to implore anyone thinking of shelling out money for Alice in the Heart not to do so until QuinRose fixes the localization.

While otome games on mobile devices have a reputation for getting subpar localization jobs, Alice in the Heart truly takes the cake. I'm sure I'm not the only one who understands how much work it is to translate the wall of text that is a visual novel, but running the Japanese through Google Translate (I can only imagine this is what they did) to save on time/costs is simply not acceptable. In fact, Jenni Lada over at Technology Tell has already written an article calling the release "heartwrenching" and "one of the worst game localizations I've ever seen," and nearly all of the reviews on both the Android and iTunes pages for the game cite the poor translation and/or a bug that causes the game to freeze during the prologue. It goes to show that in a genre that relies so heavily on reading to advance the narrative, the translation is everything, and fans should and will hold popular otome games like Alice in the Heart to such a standard.

With the huge number of quality freelance translators doing work to bring Japanese games out in English available, combined with the number of people that have been long awaiting an Alice in the Country of Hearts game release, there is simply no excuse for Alice in the Heart's poor localization. If you find yourself amused by the gibberish and want to try the game out for yourself, please consider downloading and playing the free portion of the game and then sending QuinRose an email or writing a review telling them you won't pay for the full product until it is in, at the very least, understandable English. The game, otome game fans, and the localization industry as a whole deserve much, much better.

One of the best things about going to Japan is the chance to go game shopping. Last year I bought a whopping 24 games when I was in Osaka on vacation for three weeks, but this year I had to be slightly more frugal. Still, I think I came back with quite a few goodies, including some rare and very cheap finds!

If you add it all up, I purchased a total of 13 games this trip, comprised of three PSone games, one PS2 game, one PS3 game, one PSP game, two Vita games, one GBA game, three DS games, and one 3DS game. I'm actually pretty impressed by the relatively even sampling of consoles on display in my haul overall! While I may not have bought quite as many games as I admittedly would have liked, that was largely due to the fact that three of the games purchased were significantly more than the few bucks I usually spend per game while in Japan.

Funnily enough, one of the first game purchases I made also happens to be the one I'm most proud of! Last year I actually got a copy of The Vision of Escaflowne for about $8, but this year I managed to find the limited edition for only $15 in Akihabara, so even though I already had a copy of the game, I absolutely had to add the LE to my collection. It comes with a tarot card set and extra booklet that I'll definitely be showing off more in-depth in a future post.

I'll actually be giving away my extra copy of the game in my August Chic Pixel supporters giveaway, so if you'd like to be in the running, donate $5 or more to support the site and you'll have the chance to win that and some other nifty stuff! My secretary tells me we only have two entries so far, so your chances of winning might be pretty good...

Since I'm talking about PSone games, here are the other two I picked up. The one on the left, Harukanaru Toki no Naka de, is the first otome game in the series by the same name. It was only $1, so I figured I might as well pick it up! On the right however, is a game that I totally stumbled upon by accident while I was wandering around Super Potato in Ikebukuro. Titled Oujisama Lv1, it claims to have RPG elements while apparently having an entirely male cast that may or may not all have crushes on the protagonist. You guessed it: the main reason I picked this up was due to the shōnen ai vibe! After doing a quick search on Google.jp, it appears my intuition was correct, as the game originated as BL PC RPG that spawned a fan disc and sequel, as well as a manga. I can't wait to see what it's like!

My lone PS2 purchase was the Harukanaru toki no naka de 2 premium box, which came with some art cards in addition to the game itself. What can I say, I'm a sucker for cheap otome games!

... And then there were the slightly more expensive otome games. Uta no Prince-sama Repeat for the PSP was nearly $40, as many otome games on the PSP don't ever drop significantly in price, but it's one I've been meaning to play for a while. After watching the anime, I know I'll probably enjoy it, even though it's very silly!

Yet another otome game! Do you sense a theme? Beyond the Future: Fix the Time Arrows is one of the few otome games available on the PS3, and though I literally know nothing about it, I quite like the art style. For $15, that was enough to sell me on it!

Believe it or not, these two PS Vita games were my most expensive game purchases of the trip. On the left we have the self-explanatory Puyo Puyo Tetris, which I originally planned on buying for PS3 for the couch co-op but ultimately decided it would be more enjoyable on a handheld. I've played a little of it and so far it has reestablished the fact that I'm awful at both Puyo Puyo and Tetris.

On the right, we have a game that actually came out while I was in Tokyo, Corpse Party: Blood Drive! The Corpse Party series are pretty much the only horror games I've ever gotten into, but after XSEED brought the first two for PSP out in English, I've been hopelessly hooked. I haven't really had a lot of time to dig into this one yet, but it's definitely very high on my list!

It's a sad truth that the above game, Ohanayasan Monogatari GBA, is the only GBA game I bought during my trip, despite my obsession with them. It's getting increasingly more difficult for me to find GBA games within my price range that I don't already own! I'd never heard of this one before running into it during one of my routine GBA section checks (of course I had to meticulously go through all the GBA games in every game store I went to), but the cover art was cute and it seems like Harvest Moon... but with flowers. Apparently there's a DS game in the same series that actually looks cuter, so I guess I need to put that on my list of things to get eventually!

Speaking of DS games, Pokémon Typing DS is one I've had my eye on for quite a while now but never wanted to spend more than a few bucks on, so I was pretty stocked to find a copy with the bluetooth keyboard (pictured in the first photo) for only $5! The bottom game is Chocobo no Mahō Ehon: Majo to Shōjo to Gonin no Yūsha, which is the Japan-only sequel to Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales game. I honestly didn't have this one on my radar at all, but after seeing it for $5 and initially passing on it, I ended up going back to the same store and grabbing it a few days later.

The final DS game I added to my collection was another spontaneous purchase, Ore ga Omae o Mamoru (bottom). I only knew it as an otome game with some RPG elements, but apparently it's also a Metroidvania side-scroller? I'm definitely intrigued, but I don't remember it getting a very good reception when it came out...

Oresama Kingdom: Ikemen Kareshi o Getto Shiyo! for the 3DS (top) is actually a game I had wanted to pick up last summer, but at over $40, I ended up passing on it. I had completely forgotten about ever wanting it until I randomly ran into it in a bargain bin in Ikebukuro the morning of the day I was returning to Australia... And for only $10, I knew I had to grab it! It's one of the rare 3DS games that requires players to hold the system as if it were a book (think Hotel Dusk on the DS), and, of course, it's an otome game. In the case of Oresama Kingdom, I believe it's based on a manga series aimed at elementary/middle school girls. It's currently going for $24 at Play Asia, which is the cheapest I've seen it available online, if you're interested in checking it out!

Well, there you have it – every single game I bought while I was in Japan! If there's any title you'd like to hear more about sooner rather than later, let me know in the comments and I'll prioritize it!

Happy almost Birthday, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn! I don't play you anymore, but I'm so glad you're still going strong!

art by Junko Watarai (source)

That's right, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn turns one year old on Wednesday, August 27th! It's crazy to think that this time last year I was obsessively leveling my cat boy Chive. While I never expected to enjoy, much less stick with, an MMO, FFXIV: ARR hooked me during the open beta, prompting me to preorder the limited edition and be a paying subscriber for nearly six months! Every time I hear about new content and patches (did you know you can dye your chocobo now?!) I feel a twinge of regret that I let my subscription lapse, but I ultimately felt I just didn't have the time to merit paying the monthly fee... Plus, I have so many other games I want to play!

Still, that doesn't stop me from loving the world of Eorzea and looking forward to hearing about team's plans for the game's future. With over 2 million subscribers, I have a feeling it'll be around for a while! If you're like me and prefer to enjoy the media surrounding FFXIV: ARR without actually playing the game, I highly suggest checking out the awesome anniversary illustration countdown that I took the above image from.

In other news, it's on secret that I've been on a bit of a figure kick lately. While I've mostly been sticking to Nendoroids and am trying to stay far, far away from scaled figures (we'll see how long that lasts), the impending release of the Etrian Odyssey IV sniper gal, pictured above, had me pining over whether or not I was ready and willing to enter the world of plastic models.

Now, plastic models are different from other figures in that you are required to assemble, and often paint, the figure yourself. While I do consider myself relatively crafty, I don't think I'm ready to go full-on plastic model enthusiast and buy all the paints and tools needed to assemble them, which is why I felt so torn about the sniper girl. According to numerous blogs and descriptions on Japanese sites, the sniper girl comes pre-painted, so she's supposed to look relatively good even if you don't want to bother with painting her. Fingers crossed that that's the case, as I eventually broke down and ordered one! The idea of assembling my own figure does sound like a rather neat project, so worst case scenario, it will be a learning experience that ends in an miserably ugly mess of a figure. But it would be pretty great if she ended looking as neat as the above photo, don't you agree?

I may be new to the world of Hatsune Miku art books, but Udon Entertainment certainly isn't. In fact, MIKUCOLOR: Kei's Hatsune Miku Illustration Works is the fifth release in the company's Hatsune Miku art book series! What sets it apart from previews volumes, however, is the fact that MIKUCOLOR is exclusively dedicated to the works of official Vocaloid artist Kei, covering his illustration work for DVD jackets to magazine covers. It's a great opportunity to see so much of Kei's work all in one place, especially considering how difficult it is to source many of the products his work appears on outside of Japan!

While I personally don't follow Kei very closely, I always recognize his etherial, watercolor-like style when I see it in Vocaloid promotional materials. What I didn't realize, however, is that he doesn't always limit himself to his usual blue palette...

The image above is from my favorite series in the book, the Comptiq fruits illustrations. Though I certainly can't knock Kei for depicting Miku in her usual blue glory, it was great to see an illustration that had a warmer palette. I particularly like how her hair fades into orange, as well.

Even when using a blue-centric palette, Kei's work always manages to be cheerful and vibrant. I also really enjoyed the Snow Miku illustration series, as it's nice to see her in something different than her traditional grey and teal outfit.

MIKUCOLOR is a whopping 128 full color pages, grouped into sections based generally around the media that the illustrations originally appear in. Of particular note are the four exclusive illustrations featured at the front of the book – two of Miku, one of Rin and Len, and one of Luka!

So, while the book most definitely centers on Miku, there are a handful of illustrations of the other Crypton Vocaloids. Rin, Len, and Luka get the most appearances, however, with Kaito and Meiko showing up only very briefly, which is a shame for those who consider the latter two among their favorites. That said, while the other Vocaloid illustrations are certainly appreciated, the book is clearly aimed at covering mostly Kei's Miku works.

The folks at Udon Entertainment were sent me a PDF version of the book to review, so though I can't comment on the physical quality of the book, I'm confident that MIKUCOLOR will delight Hatsune Miku and Kei fans alike. For more information on the book and where you can purchase a copy yourself, here's the official rundown from Udon Entertainment:

MIKUCOLOR: Kei’s Hatsune Miku Illustration Works

Collecting the artwork of official Vocaloid character illustrator, KEI! Mikucolor collects KEI’s dazzling illustrations of your favorite Vocaloids like Luka, Rin & Len, and of course the supreme musical idol herself – Hatsune Miku! Included are magazine & book illustrations, DVD covers, rare pinups, exclusive new artwork, and much more!

Price (U.S.): $39.99
ISBN: 1-927925-08-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-927925-08-9
Format: Softcover
Page Count: 128, Color
Size: 8.25″ x 11.75″

Buy from Indiebound | Buy from Comic Shops | Buy from Barnes & Noble | Buy from Amazon

For an anime and video game nerds such as myself, there are a near limitless number of themed cafés waiting to be dined at in Japan. Since I usually visit Osaka when I do get the chance to go to the land of the rising sun, I've missed out on all of the exciting themed cafés in Tokyo, of which there are many. One such café is the Artnia Square Enix café, which opened at the end of 2012 in Shinjuku. Now, I can finally say I've made the pilgrimage every Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest fan yearns to take!

Since Artnia is located in Shinjuku, here's a street shot I took that evening to set the scene. While the café is actually located closer to the Higashi (east) Shinjuku station, I had some time to kill before my 8:30 meeting time with Tasmanian Twitter friend Rowan (@link6616), so I walked there from the main Shinjuku station. Did you know Shinjuku station is the busiest train station in the world, with over 3.6 million people passing through it every day? And with over 200 exits, it's notoriously confusing to navigate!

After making my way to the calmer east side of Shinjuku, I finally located the Shinjuku East Side Tower where the Square Enix main office and Artnia café are located. After looping around the perimeter of the building in search of the egg-shaped café, I finally spotted my destination:

Forgive the poor quality photo, but the café was surprisingly difficult to photograph, and it probably didn't help that I was there at night. Here's the posh lit sign that greeted me on my way in:

After finally meeting up with Rowan and making our way inside, it was time to order some treats! We both decided that we'd stick to dessert... After all, it's usually the desserts that are the most creative in themed cafés.

Here's what it looks like inside! It's not the most flattering picture, but it does give a sense of how big the café is... which is actually surprisingly small! I don't think more thank 15 people could be seated at a time. The red area at the back left is actually a display room for all kind of fancy Square Enix merchandise, from Play Arts figures to prohibitively expensive Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy-inspired jewellery.

Oh, and before you ask – no, I don't know that white guy in the photo! We just happened to be seated next to trio of foreigners.

Even though I perused Artnia's menu on their website, I was surprised to see the special The World Ends With You and Dragon Quest menus in addition to their usual fare. While I desperately wanted to try the chocobo pancakes or buster sword parfait, the Dragon Quest limited-time menu caught my eye, as not only did it offer an adorable crème brûlée dessert, but a special gift, as well!

Actually, Rowan was so taken with this dessert special that he ordered the same thing! I think it's safe to say that we were both thrilled by our adorable crème brûlées and the take home slime mugs they came in. The waiter even brought over a bag and box for us to use, and as you can see from the above photo, the crème brûlée itself was in a separate bowl so the cup didn't get dirty.

As you can see, I was quite thrilled to eat the slime-shaped piece of chocolate that adorned the crème brûlée. The whole dessert was very nice, and for only about $15 for the brûlée and cup, I thought it was very reasonable! For those of you who read my recap of the Rilakkuma Café at Tower Records, I was quite unhappy with the quality/quantity of food served, considering how high the price was. While Artnia wasn't exactly cheap, I think their prices were much more reasonable, and I left feeling very satisfied.

Of course, how could I go to the Square Enix café and not try one of their special coffees? Though you're not able to choose what picture you get, they did ask whether I would like a Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy design. Why, Final Fantasy, of course! I believe they also do chocobo coffees, but I had no complaints with the moogle design I got. Rowan ordered a juice, and he was treated to his choice of a Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy coaster to take home.

After finishing our meal, it was time to get shopping! Please forgive the general lack of photos of inside the café itself – again, the poor lighting combined with my little point-and-shoot camera didn't make for the best photography. Hopefully you can get an idea from the above photo what the layout of the shop was like. Overall, it was very white, modern, and pristine!

I was slightly disappointed by the selection of the shop, simply because there weren't very many exclusive items, which is what I'm after when I go to a themed café. They did have some amazing keychain replicas of iconic dishes from the café such as the chocobo pancakes, but they were a whopping $18! On one hand, I still regret not buying one, but on the other, $18 is just too much! In the end, I walked away with just one item, this Artnia-exclusive CD as a souvenir for Mr. Sushi:

The CD is called SE Tracks 99, and as the title states, it consists of 99 tracks. At only $5, I wasn't really sure what to expect, but it turns out it's a collection of in-game creature sound effects, from chocobos to moogles and all oddities in between. Each track is only a second or two, so it's not really something one would listen to for fun, but I still think it was a fun little souvenir!

Finally, it's time to take a look at the slime cup that came with my crème brûlée! Here's the adorable box it came in. As you'll see shortly, the parts of the above design are replicated on the cup itself.

It was really hard to get a good photo of the outside, but here it is! I just love the little slime border pattern. Check out that smiling slime in the middle! It's such a cute little detail.

And here's the bottom of the cup! I love when there's a little surprise like that inside. It definitely puts as smile on my face to see the little slime staring up at me when I finish off a good cuppa.

I think it's probably already pretty clear, but I had an amazing time at Artnia! Though the store lacked in affordable exclusive goods to purchase, it definitely made up for it in the amazing selection at the café. I'd definitely make it a priority to stop by if I'm ever in Tokyo again... I still need to try those pancakes!

Just my luck – the one day I decide to go to bed at the ripe hour of 9 pm, Nintendo decides to hold a major Nintendo Direct! When I woke up the next morning, all the internet was abuzz with news of the New 3DS. I'm still trying to wrap my head around what it's all about... and what's up with that awful name!

Coming to Japan on October 11th!

I know a lot of people were clamoring for an additional thumb stick, so it's great to see Nintendo finally add one in. Apparently it's closer to the GameCube's C-stick than the circle pad that's been on the left hand side of the 3DS since the original model... Honestly, I can't say much about that since I never owned a GameCube and don't have a whole lot of experience with the controller. I'm sure it will function fine for things like the camera in Monster Hunter 4G, but the size and positioning puzzle me a little, as it seems quite close to the command buttons.

Speaking of those buttons, though, I absolutely love the fact that they're colored like the original SNES buttons. What a neat touch! It looks great on the smaller new 3DS model, but it's a shame they didn't go with the same color scheme on the new 3DS LL/XL models.

Since there are plenty of sites going into all the juicy details, I won't bore you with all of the specifics of the new models, but other improvements I'm particularly intrigued by are the improved 3D capabilities and enhanced CPU. I hardly ever use the 3D when playing now, but the idea that it can be viewed without holding the 3DS the perfect distance and angle from your face is pretty exciting, and makes using the 3D much more appealing.

Yet another game I've been meaning to play...

All I really understand about the enhanced CPU is that it will allow for more technically robust games to come out on the system, such as the port of Xenoblade Chronicles that was announced in the same Nintendo Direct. Unfortunately, this also means that games developed for the new 3DS will not work on old 3DS models... Which makes one wonder, will Nintendo and 3rd party developers gradually move over to the new system, or will it be somewhat of a flop, like DSi-exclusive games were in the past?

Though I can't say I was personally hoping for a new 3DS model anytime soon, all of the new features do sound pretty appealing. Unfortunately, I just don't have it in my budget to buy a new one in the near future, and a single exclusive game isn't the push I need to break the bank for it just yet. Most likely, I'll wait until there's a limited edition system and game I'm really excited for.

Now, I may seem like a person that likes pretty much any and all cute things from Japan. But, believe it or not, there are some things I just don't "get." Case in point: Funassyi (pictured above). The yellow pear character is an unofficial mascot for Funabashi, Chiba, but has still managed to become immensely popular in Japan over the past year or so. I had no idea just how popular it was until I went to Tokyo last month and saw for myself how it's permeated any and all media in the country. In fact, Funassyi even features quite heavily in the promotional material for the arcade game Gunslinger Stratos 2:

I understand that the idea of a mascot character speaking and moving around in a crazy manner is rather novel, but I actually find Funassyi really irritating! Is this a sign that I'm getting old? Am I no longer hip? I guess I'll go back to my rocker on the porch and yell at a few kids.

Ah, September... When the seasons start to change and suddenly it feels like we're rapidly hurdling towards the end of the year. Last month we celebrated a very classic, and still widely praised, game genre: the platformer. This month, however, it's time to turn our attention toward a genre that hasn't seen a whole lot of love on recent consoles, but is still very near and dear to many: the humble shmup.

Einhander

Shoot 'em ups, affectionally known as shmups, are considered shooters but have a couple of distinct characteristics that set them apart from other games in the shooting genre: namely, an emphasis on fast reflexes and chaotic screens filled with enemies. Shmups are some of the oldest games around, and can be traced all the way back to 1962's Spacewar!, though the most commonly known retro shmup would undoubtedly be Space Invaders. Nowadays, shumps are somewhat of a dying breed, partially due to the industry's focus on first person shooters and graphical prowess, which is why we're going to dedicate the whole month of September to remembering some of the classics and uncovering new shmup gems!

As always, the "rules" of the Community Game-Alongs are simple – just play any game that fits the theme and share your experiences with others! Feel free to post write-ups of your game(s) of choice on your own site, record a podcast, or use #Shmuptember on your preferred social media. Of course, how you choose to share your experiences (or not), is up to you! If you're having a hard time picking something to play, here are a few suggestions that hopefully won't be too difficult to obtain if you don't already own them:

Gradius

Gradius (3DS Virtual Console) – It's hard to talk about shmups without mentioning one of the most famous shmup series to date, Gradius. If you want to go back and experience the game that started it all, you can do so on the 3DS Virtual Console, but be warned, the original is quite dated, and will likely seem even more so for those who have never played it before. If you want to play what are considered fan-favorites in the series, try to get your hands on Gradius Gaiden (in the PSP title Gradius Collection) or Gradius V (PS2).

ETHER VAPOR Remaster

ETHER VAPOR Remaster (PC) – If it hasn't already become apparent, I actually know next to nothing about shmups and thus have very little in the way of personal recommendations in this genre! One recent game I have played, however, is ETHER VAPOR Remaster, a 3D doujin shmup that was localized by Nyu Media. While I have no idea how it's viewed within the shmup fan community, I quite enjoyed my time with it, and there's even a free demo on Nyu Media's website, so you can try it before you commit.

Mushihimesama

CAVE shmups (various) – CAVE has carved itself out a nice niche within the already niche genre of shmups by focusing on what has been coined "bullet hell" shooters. While only a fraction of their games have been released outside of Japan, popular releases such as Deathsmiles can be found on Xbox 360 or iOS/Android, along with Akai Katana (Xbox 360) and Mushihimesama (iOS/Android). Their DonPatchi series is also a shmup classic, and the great thing about shmups is you don't really need to know any Japanese to be able to play them! If you don't want to shell out lots of cash to pick up physical console versions of these games, quite a few CAVE titles are available on smartphones. Check out the full list on their website.

Do you have any other shmup suggestions for newcomers to the genre, or those looking for something a little less mainstream? Share your picks in the comments, and let us know what you plan on playing!

Is it too early to start talking about Halloween? Never, I say, and apparently Japanese Baskin Robbins feels the same! Though their limited-run Halloween ice cream specials won't be going on sale until September 26th, they've already unveiled the upcoming festive line of treats:

The cat and ghost pictured above are my favorites, but you can see images of the whole lineup over at Zigg. I just love all of the care put into the details, from the purple witches' hats and special Halloween cups that unify the designs. After some quick Googling, it's become apparent that Baskin Robbins brings out similar Halloween designs every year in Japan, including some pretty amazing looking sundaes!

Over at Mister Donut, things are all about the classic orange and chocolate flavor combination. Who doesn't love orange and chocolate? I've always found it somewhat exotic for whatever reason, and the words "orange" and "chocolate" immediately conjure up memories of the chocolate oranges I used to get for Christmas.

All of the donuts look so decadent! I think it's the advertising... Still, I would definitely give that orange chocolate Pon de Ring a taste if I happened to be in Japan during this campaign. While it's not explicitly Halloween-related, the orange does give it a sort of "mature" Halloween feel, don't you think? I can't wait to see what Mister Donut whips out for an actual Halloween-themed donut series!

I have been monumentally busy lately. Terribly, soul-crushingly busy to the point that I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to fit in everything I want/need to do. On top of that, my monthly Community Game-Alongs keep me acutely aware of exactly how much time I have left in the year... And it's not a lot.

So, how can one ever hope to manage one's time?! With a handy list, of course!

There are tons of games I want to play over the next few months, but I had to narrow things down for the sake of this post, and my sanity. Since I'm on a major otome game/visual novel kick lately, I figured that was as good a place to start as any, and I also wanted to use it as an excuse to cover some games that may not be talked about very often. And thus, I present to you: four visual novels I have to play before 2015!

Clover Toshokan no Juunin-tachi (release date: September 26)

This is one otome game that I absolutely did not have on my radar until I happened to see it pop up for preorder on Ami Ami (that site is going to be the death of me). My interest was piqued for purely superficial reasons – the game has the word "library" in the title, and the art was appealing, albeit a little generic. But this game isn't just an otome game that features a library! The male suitors are literally books. That's right, the books in the library have come to life, from the cutesy picture book to the wild-looking travel book. Even though this game is for PC and I generally prefer to play games on consoles, I will readily admit that the prospect of dating books completely sold me on the title.

Nekketsu Inou Bukatsu: Trigger Kiss(release date: October 2)

I have a feeling this list is going to quickly make me sound very shallow, but there was only one thing I knew about Trigger Kiss before I started writing this post, and that was that there is a mechanic in the game that actually has players kiss their Vitas. I literally needed no other information before placing my preorder. I figure if games like Monster Monpiece with its erotic Vita-rubbing gameplay mechanism can be popular enough to have an English release, then I'm going to do my very best to make sure everyone knows about what else is out there! Apparently the mechanic is rationalized by the fact that all of the characters have special powers... and the heroine's is that she can increase the powers of others by – you guessed it – kissing them. All right, sign me up!

DRAMAtical Murder re:code (release date: October 30)

DRAMAtical Murder is one of those games that I really should play, but have never gotten very far in, largely due to the fact that it's PC-only (that doesn't bode well for Clover Toshokan no Juunin-tachi...). Now that the ages18+ BL visual novel is getting an all-ages Vita release, I have a feeling I'll finally be compelled to go through and finish the whole thing. I just love the game's cyberpunk-like aesthetic and focus on things like games and technology (so meta!), and I can only imagine how great it's going to look on the Vita's OLED screen! Just a warning, though: if you find yourself interested in learning more about DRAMAtical Murder, I would suggest staying away from the currently-airing anime. It's a good laugh if you don't take it seriously, but the low production values really aren't doing the series any favors.

Code: Realize - Sousei no Himegimi(release date: November 27)

It's high time an otome game tackled a steampunk setting, so I am 100% on board with whatever Code: Realize plans to throw at me. Taking place in London and featuring bishonen versions of famous literary characters such as Van Helsing and Frankenstein, everything about this game says that I'll love it... aside from the premise. Apparently it features an amnesiac heroine who has some kind of disease that causes everything she comes in contact with to rot. After my experience with Amnesia, I think it's safe to say I'm extremely wary of an otome game that uses amnesia as a plot point, but I can't help but be drawn in by the gorgeous art, characters, and setting. I hope it doesn't disappoint!

There are so many other games I could have included, but alas, any more than four and I doubt I'll be able to make good on my word to play them before 2015. As it is, I still have piles of visual novels I've purchased and still haven't touched!

Visual novel or not, what are you looking forward to playing for the rest of the year?

This is it, folks. I've finally fallen into the deep, money-swallowing hole that is scale figures. I don't know whether I should be relieved that I lasted a whole year since I bought my first Nendoroid, or if I should be disappointed that I only managed to keep myself away from them for so long. Either way, I'm in it now, and there's no better way to celebrate the occasion than with a review!

The figure I purchased came completely from left field – I didn't have this figure on my theoretical "if I ever decide to buy scale figures this is what I'd get" wishlist, and I even broke my cardinal rule of not buying merchandise for media I'm not familiar with. Ali Baba, or Allie, as she's known in Japan, is a character from the 3DS brawler Code of Princess, which was released in North America by Atlus way back in 2012. The figure itself was later released in Japan in December 2013, and, as far as I can tell, is a relatively niche figure even among collectors (probably because she's overshadowed by her busty counterpart Solange...).

As you can see from the photo above, the box itself is very lackluster. Still, I was surprised by how massive it was when it came in! The Hatsune Miku Nendoroid Petit is there for scale and, well, cuteness factor. I didn't bother taking any photos of the rest of the box, as it was completely plain and unremarkable. From what I've seen, there are usually at least images of the figure on the back of the box to show potential buyers what they're getting, but there was nothing of the sort for Ali Baba.

I tried to find the official artwork the figure was based on, and though I can't confirm for sure, the pose in the image above fits the figure to a T. If you're thinking to yourself, "Hmm, that art looks strangely familiar," that's probably because it's drawn by Kinu Nishimura, an artist well known for her work on the Street Fighter series as well as the recent Zero Escape games. That's part of the reason why I let my "no figures of characters you don't know" rule side, as I've always been a fan of her art and I've adored Ali Baba's design since back when Code of Princess was first unveiled. Admittedly, I always though she was a he, but after doing some research while waiting for the figure to arrive, I found out that she is in fact a lady thief, which only makes her more bad-ass in my book!

Before I go any further, I have a confession to make. When I was trying to remove some plastic packaging that had been inserted around her scarf, I managed to break the beaded strand of hair that whips around in front right between the gold and silver beads just next to her head. My first figure, broken! Luckily I only spent about $35 on her rather than the retail price of $90, or I probably would've burst into tears on the spot. After having a minor freak out, I read up on figure fixes and went to the store to find some super glue. Luckily, with a little elbow grease to hold the piece in place, it stuck! (Almost) good as new!

Since this was my first scale figure, I don't really have any bases to compare with, but I was pleasantly surprised by the paint job. More importantly, I love that she doesn't connect to the base with pegs – while it does make it easier for her to slide off the base if accidentally bumped into, it also means she can be posed in other settings without having to worry about pegs at the bottom of her feet.

Considering how hefty the figure itself feels, it's a bit odd that the base is such comparatively flimsy plastic. But I'd say it does the job pretty well:

Since I haven't played Code of Princess, I'm not sure what setting to imagine her in, but the base feels very castle-y to me. It's hard to make out in the photo, but her right hand doesn't quite touch the base, which may seem counterintuitive at first. However, I think it really helps to enhance the movement of the piece! I can totally imagine her quickly crouching and drawing her sword in a preemptive attack.

If I were a seasoned figure reviewer, I might have taken pictures of all her parts separately, but after breaking her once, I've decided not to mess with it any more than I have to. Her sword originally came in two pieces, with the hilt removed so it could be placed in her hand. It actually really difficult to slide it through her hand! It's barely noticeable, but I think I scraped off a little paint on the hilt when squeezing it in. While the the sword itself definitely isn't a highlight of the piece, I do like the crescent moon and star detail on the hilt.

Her neck also separates from her body so her scarf can be removed, but it doesn't look like a complete piece without it, in my opinion. I love how it's not a single color, but rather fades to a pale blue at the end! I don't know if it's normal for scale figure heads to be removable, but if they wanted to add flexibility to the figure, I would have preferred an alternative facial expression over the removable scarf.

The real attraction of the figure, though, is from her torso down (don't get any funny ideas!). I love her belt/key ring/sash things, and something about the way her feet are positioned make her boots really appealing, as well! The belts in particular have some really nice details, like the colored tassels along the bottom.

Look at those keys! The way they're spread out really makes the figure feel so dynamic.

What I don't understand is why they made the belt section separate from the rest of her body. The tassels mysteriously disappear from the area around her left leg, as well, which doesn't make much sense when you scrutinize it up close.

No matter how I move the belt portion around, there's always this weird gap from where the tassels disappear! In a figure that is so well designed overall, it's such as shame that they didn't fix this detail. Since the torso can't be separated from the body to remove the belts, I don't know why they didn't make it all one piece...

My only other critique is that there are a few instances where paint is where it shouldn't be. The paint job overall is very well done, but there is this mysterious dark line on her arm, which is unfortunate, but it's not too noticeable. Her white pants also have a few minor blemishes on them, but its hard for me to tell if that's from me scraping her when I took her out of the packaging or not.

Even with the minor paint and design flaws (not to mention the flimsy hair piece that I broke), I am still utterly thrilled with my first scale figure. From what I've seen, her design and color scheme is quite unique, and while I don't think I could ever bring myself to spend upwards of $100 for a hunk of plastic that I can't even pose, she was a total steal for $35 at Plamoya!

I didn't think I would be ordering any other figures for a very long time, but it just so happens that one I've been eyeing went on sale for just over $35, as well, so of course I had to bite. I guess $35 is my scale figure sweet spot! I just hope for my wallet's sake that I don't start getting eyes for anything too expensive...

Back when I wrote about the Hello Kitty regional Blendy stick a few months ago, I resigned myself to never being able to try them due to their limited distribution even though I was traveling to Japan. Imagine my surprise, then, when I ran into some at a souvenir shop that specialized in food at Tokyo Solamachi! Of course, I was utterly thrilled and proceeded to buy them immediately.

Interestingly, the only flavor this particular shop stocked was the Tochiotome Au Lait from Tochigi prefecture, which is north of Tokyo. As you can probably tell from the packaging, Tochiotome is a type of strawberry that is particularly famous in Tochigi prefecture. Though I've eaten my fair share of Japanese strawberries, I don't know if I've ever tried the Tochiotome variety, but I can say that Japanese strawberries are some of the juiciest, most flavorful berries I've ever had!

Each regional Hello Kitty Blendy stick box comes with 10 individually-wrapped packets for 10 cups of strawberry au lait. I believe I paid ¥600 (more or less $6), which might be a tad pricey for this sort of instant drink, but I was happy to spend a little extra for a region-exclusive item.

According to the back of the box, there is a special monkey trainer Hello Kitty design that, if you're lucky, you'll find on one of the packets in the box. A quick Google search tells me that Tochigi is famous for a theme park that used to have monkey troupe performances that closed in 2013, but will have a memorial hall opening this October. Unfortunately, I wasn't lucky enough to get the special design!

I didn't expect the box to reveal a cutout of Hello Kitty's face when opened! It's products like this that really showcase the amazing attention to detail and presentation you'll find in even the most mundane items in Japan. Limited edition packaging is certainly a surefire way to get me to buy an instant drink I would normally pass over in a shop!

Unfortunately, while the strawberry Hello Kitty adorning the box and packets is all-around adorable, the drink itself wasn't particularly impressive. The Tochiotome strawberry flavor was definitely strong and sweet, but I don't think strawberry au lait is really my drink of choice.

Sure, it would be great if the drink itself was as thrilling as the packaging, but I'm still very happy that I was able to try one of the regional Hello Kitty Blendy stick flavors! Though I couldn't find a seller that ships the Tochiotome au lait internationally, there is one that stocks the Hokkaido café au lait! I may have to give that a try...

Chic Pixel Plus Episode 21 – The KusoCast

Catch-Up Corner: Tokyo Coverage 2014

Announcing the Platformer Community Game-Along

Anne in Japan 2014: Rilakkuma Café at Tower Records

Apricotsushi Interviews: Foo Swee Chin (FSc)

Catch-Up Corner: HaruToki 4, Battle Princess of Arcadias, and Rilakkuma Re-Ments

Apricotsushi Reviews: When Marnie Was There

Chic Pixel Joins Kawaii in Manila 2's Worldwide Kawaii Campaign

Japan Envy: Card Captor Sakura Bags by Super Groupies

Alice in the Heart Deserves a Better Localization

Anne in Japan 2014: The Game Haul

Catch-Up Corner: FFXIV: A Realm Reborn's birthday and stressing over figure purchases

Apricotsushi Reviews: MIKUCOLOR: Kei's Hatsune Miku Illustration Works

Anne in Japan 2014: Artnia Square Enix Café

Catch-Up Corner: Pondering the New 3DS and Funassyi

Announcing the Shmup Community Game-Along

Japan Envy: Baskin Robbins Halloween Ice Cream + Mister Donut Orange Chocolate Series

4 visual novels I have to play before 2015

Apricotsushi Reviews: Ali Baba 1/7 by empty

Swooning Over Regional Hello Kitty Blendy Sticks