Monday, July 2, 2018

Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan – 07

「さらりと頂く冷やし茶漬け」 (Sarari to Chasenchakukei)
“Refreshing and Easy to Eat Chilled Ochazuke”


Ah, summer! A wonderful time to bask in the radiating warmth of the computer screen for the next episode of Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan, and there hasn’t been a better season than now for swimsuits and sunshine. An in-door summer isn’t half bad, especially with the sweltering heat or downpour, but Emiya, Saber, and Rin take their in-door entertainment to its highest heights by spiraling down the largest water-slides in Fuyuki. This episode is quite impressive in how well they pull off the summer atmosphere with the color tones that capture the glittering cerulean water at the park and the warm hue of the outdoor sunset. Additionally, it gave us terrific opportunities to make fun hang-out scenes with Rin and Saber enjoying each other’s company. Similarly, Rider shows up for a friendly game of volleyball while Lancer and Archer go for the unfriendly route.


And to gush further on the artwork of the show, this is the first I’ve seen them pull out incredible scenes with the budget. The manga’s aesthetic sticks predominantly with the cuter looking designs and sketch-like visuals, but when it came down to the Saber/Emiya vs. Lancer/Archer volleyball scene, they pulled off Unlimited Budget Works with how visually pleasing that intense sequences can be with the cutesy visuals of Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan. Everything from Saber utilizing her high agility to reach the ball to the beams radiating from the piercing stares and strikes of the Lancer/Archer duo works to create a hilariously impressive volleyball match between the four heated contestants.


To cool off from the hot-headed competition and blistering summer heat, Emiya’s go-to meal to beat the sun is Chilled Ochazuke. Because Ochazuke’s main appeal is pouring green tea or dashi broth into a bowl of rice and toppings, it’s a relatively simple dish to make. The only questions you would have to contend with is what toppings you would like to use, whether to pour green tea or dashi broth into your bowl, and if you would like to serve it hot or cold. A warm and comforting ochazuke could work well in cooler or colder seasons, but because July is hot as blazes in most parts of the world, making it into a cold soup could provide much needed refreshment if you’re feeling the heat.


Chilled Ochazuke with Emiya’s Preferred Toppings:
- Rice
- Shredded salmon
- Ginger
- Japanese ginger
- Salted kelp
- Sesame miso
- Dashi broth
- Green tea


1. Make a batch of rice and let it chill for a colder ochazuke.


2. Slice a combination of Japanese ginger and ginger as finely as you can, creating thin slices.


3. After broiling a salmon, debone the filet and pull it apart with chopsticks, shredding it into small chunks.


4. Soak cucumber slices in in salt water, rinse, and continue to squeeze lightly.


5. Top a bowl of cold rice with the fixings you prepared or bought.


6. Pour cold dashi broth or green tea over the cold rice you’ve made.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online – 12 (END)


Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online – 12 (END)




「拍手」 (Hakushu)
“Applause”


It all makes sense now – M stands for Masochist!


Before diving into the Final Impressions, let me take a second to say just how perfect this episode was as a closing to this fun SAO side story. Full of everything that made the past 11 episodes worth watching, I really appreciated how most of the time was spent in the real world. Not only did it give Karen and Miyu a chance to remind us just how great they are in the real world, but boy I’d probably flip a table if we didn’t get to see just who Pito was in real life. And sure, in hindsight it makes a lot of sense that she’d be Kanzaki Elza, but the way that Karen revealed just how she knew felt so damn satisfying that I couldn’t care less.


That and Miyu provides such amazing timing as comedic relief that it’s a damn shame we didn’t get to see more of her interacting with Karen and her friends. Anyways, let’s dive into the (what I expect will be short) Final Impressions!


Final Impressions


As a spinoff of a very popular and successful series, I think Sword Art Online Alternative – Gun Gale Online did a great job at carving out a space just for itself. Without relying on source material (except for the world it built), we were given a story that managed to pack not one but two big plot points into a mere 12 episodes. With what began as a journey of a tall girl named Karen finding the strength in an avatar named LLENN to overcome her insecurities, turned into a slightly larger epic where that very same person needed to harness that strength in order to save a friend that she cared deeply about. Along the way we met a larger cast of characters who all played a significant role and through a pretty believable set of circumstances, were truly necessary in allowing the story to give us such a satisfying ending that this final episode brought with it.


However, even with a strong plot that had well crafted characters to support it, the one other thing that Alternative had going for it was the way it handled its world building; or more specifically, how it handled recreating the thrill of actually playing an intense online game. Because if there’s something that the original series is beginning to lack, it’s the basic sense of fun you experience through the characters as they play whatever game they’re playing. Not to say that the main series isn’t fun (I like SAO), but when the stakes become too high, having fun and enjoying the game is one of the first things to take a backseat since the story needs to keep things “serious”. Something that I once again think Alternative did a great job capitalizing on.


Besides that, I don’t think there’s all that much me to touch on. Throughout the posts we’ve had ample time to talk on the specifics on an episode-to-episode basis, but suffice to say, I really enjoyed this show and would definitely recommend to everyone.


As always, thanks again for keeping up with the posts and I’ll see you guys around the bend once the Summer Season kicks into full gear. See you later!




Today at 1:16 am

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Gravity Rush 2 Manga Ends Next Month

Manga ends exactly 1 year after launch




The official Twitter account for Kadokawa"s Monthly Comic Alive announced on Wednesday that the manga adaptation of the Gravity Rush 2 game (titled Gravity Daze 2 in Japan) will end in the magazine"s next issue on July 27. The tenth chapter ran in the magazine"s August issue on Wednesday.


The manga"s full title is Gravity Daze 2 Jūryokuteki Memai Tsuisōtan (Gravity Daze Recollection Story). Kutsugaeru launched the manga on July 27, 2017, and the first volume shipped on January 23.


The original sequel game shipped on January 18 in Europe, January 19 in Japan, and January 20 in North America after a delay.


The game received a prequel "special animation" by Khara, the studio behind the new Evangelion films. Gravity Rush: The Animation - Overture bridges the gap between the original Gravity Rush and the sequel.


Source: Comic Alive Twitter




Rock on With Evangelion Guitar Cabinets, Bass Preamp

Anime News Network"s merchandise coverage sponsored by Tokyo Otaku Mode.


The Evangelion franchise is adding musical equipment and accessories to its wide array of anime-inspired merchandise. Limited quantities will be available for purchase beginning on July 14.



The new merchandise lineup includes guitar cabinets, a bass preamp, guitar pick sets, and microfiber guitar cloths. The guitar cabinets are special versions of Polish company HESU"s Modern M212 Custom Cabinet. The collaboration models feature two designs with Evangelion Unit-01 and one design each with Asuka and Rei. The guitar cabinets will cost 129,600 yen (about US$1,180), and only 30 of each version will be available.






The bass preamp will be available in Japan only, and the collaboration will offer 400 units. The preamp is Finnish company Darkglass Electronics" Alpha・Omega, and it features an Evangelion: 2.0 You Can [Not] Advance design. Each preamp will cost 47,520 yen (about US$430).



The polyacetal guitar pick sets will be available in three varieties: Evangelion Unit-01, Evangelion Unit-00, and Evangelion Unit-02. Each set costs 1,080 yen (about US$10). The microfiber cloths will be available in five varieties, and each will cost 1,296 yen (about US$12).






The merchandise will be available from music stores throughout Japan and online through the Evangelion Store.


Sources: Evangelion Store, Comic Natalie




Top 10 Common Video Game Cosplays List [Best Recommendations]​




Jet Nebula





































Final Thoughts





Overwatch-Mercy-OW-700x394 Top 10 Common Video Game Cosplays [Best Recommendations]







Author: Jet Nebula




Living the dream in Tokyo, where you can find me working at a theme café catered towards women. When I’m not writing for Honey’s, I’m working on original dystopian science fiction or blogging about Tokyo’s trendy coffee scene. I spend my free time in Harajuku and Shibuya wearing alternative Japanese street fashion. I love video games, J-rock, tattoos, and Star Wars.


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Sunday, July 1, 2018

Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory – 10

「前へ、前へ」 (Mae e, Mae e)
“Onward, Onward”


I hate ragging on about this seemingly every other week, but Full Metal Panic has not been doing well. As some of you may already know, episodes 11-12 of Invisible Victory are going to be delayed and will be broadcast as a single double-length special 18 July. This is somewhat disheartening news but not exactly surprising. Evidently, the two recap episodes we got were not exactly planned, and now strict TV schedules have forced the final two episodes of Invisible Victory to be bumped back. And perhaps this is welcome news for the team over at Xebec; they certainly need the time. I should have cited Girls und Panzer before, which was also a management disaster during its TV broadcast but ultimately produced a pretty good show and a financial success. It remains a fan favourite and its sins have been forgiven. But unfortunately, it seems that even with the extra time Xebec can’t reliably produce good looking anime. This episode, the one we’ve been left with, must mark a particular low point in the art and animation than no amount of random bra-service can salvage. More than Girls und Panzer I’m reminded of Bakemonogatari, which was a production horror story half the time and had the visuals to match. It was quite successful despite, but it was also a very dialogue-centric show and could get away with a lot of cut corners and even downright failures so long as characters kept talking. Invisible Victory can’t really pull those tricks. Which is a crying shame, because visuals aside Invisible Victory is still pretty solid. Basic composition is fine, the plot is still chugging along apace, and there are still moments where I am engaged, even gripped. But then factor in any sort of motion and suddenly it’s all too difficult to maintain. Say what you want about The Second Raid, but even at its lowest it was still, even by today’s standards, a fairly good looking show. Would FMP have garnered the fans it did if it looked mediocre, even fugly? I wouldn’t bet money on it.


It doesn’t help that we’re currently at a low point in FMP, when Sousuke is a mess, all the protagonists are crashing, and there’s no mecha action. At least Sousuke kills a guy and that’s supposed to maintain our attention for the next 20 minutes but the poor sap was too badly animated to even stop, drop, and roll so the impact fizzles. There’s a very delicate balance between action and drama that Invisible Victory needs to maintain, interweaving the highs and the lows, but with the production issues there aren’t enough highs and too many lows. Sure, tehre’s a bit of comic relief in the form of a crazy person, but I don’t feel that it was enough to balance out the overall angst. It’s unfortunate that FMP is staggering at this point because narratively it’s just about prepared to ramp up again, with the preparation of the new ARX and some paths to combating Amalgam opened. Instead, we’re distracted by distracted by a lot of superficial flaws that taint the rest of the anime.


Well, this is what we’re going to have to hold onto for bit more than half a month. I would rather not wait, especially considering the cliffhanger of Kalinin apparently turning heel, but if we’ve got to do it let’s try to be positive about it. Perhaps the two weeks and change will be enough for Xebec, and we can at least get something glorious for what should be an approaching triumphant arc in FMP.

Planet With – 05

「パラディンブレイク・1」 ( Paradinbureiku 1 ) “Paladin Break 1″ I’ve kind of given up on there being any sort of middle ground with Planet With . The a...