Author: Anne

My interest in Harvest Moon is quickly developing into an addiction

All it took was Tree of Tranquility on the Wii, my first real taste of the world of Harvest Moon, and a chance find in the form of a vintage Japanese copy of the Friends of Mineral Town strategy guide to get me completely hooked on the series. Well, I’d say it didn’t take a lot, but given my love of nonviolent video games, cute things, and Animal Crossing, I’d say it was pretty inevitable.

The other day I posted a number of pictures of the aforementioned strategy guide I’m coveting. Now it’s time for the actual game itself! A Twitter friend from Japan was gracious enough to find me a full in-box copy in amazing condition at an extremely reasonable price (under $20).

There’s something really satisfying about having a complete set!

When delving into the Harvest Moon series for the first time, it can be very daunting due to the sheer amount of different titles available. Where does one start? I did some asking around and looked to Harvest Moon forums to see what the general consensus was regarding the best titles in the series… Though you can pretty much every Harvest Moon game is somebody’s favorite, I got the impression that, to many a fan, Friends of Mineral Town remains one of the most definitive, which was definitely a factor in my decision to purchase it.

I honestly couldn’t believe how pristine the box was when I received it in the mail… Gotta love the Japanese for taking good care of their things! But then I wondered… Perhaps the person never even played the game? Maybe it’d been sitting in a box for years before they finally decided to get rid of it? So I popped the game cartridge in my DS (I seriously need a GBA of some sort, but that’s another post) and, lo and behold… The two save files in the game indicate that they only spent a mere couple of hours playing it. My theory was correct!

Have I ever mentioned how awesome Japanese GBA boxes are? The most awesome. I love that every side of the box is completely customized to fit whatever game is inside… There’s even some art on the spine! And it comes complete with a manual, too… Can’t help but feel game packaging has really gone downhill these days, albeit more practical. It’s such a shame!

Vintage Finds: Japanese Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town Strategy Guide

Let me tell you, I never thought I would walk into a used bookstore in Brisbane and come out with a copy of the Japanese strategy guide for Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town! The bookstore in question touts over a million titles, but way at the back of the building is about a half a shelf dedicated to Japanese language titles, 75% of which are dictionaries and random Western novels translated into Japanese. But lo and behold, smushed in between all these lackluster titles was a real gem! It set me back $7, and though I didn’t own the game at the time (more on that later), I was more than happy that my husband urged me purchase it (we actually left the store and came back!).

Upon opening the cover and turning to the first page, it immediately becomes apparent that the guide was well loved by its previous owner (though it remains in otherwise immaculate condition):

What are these notes for? Why, they’ve listed the ingredients to make a cake! I love when people write in their books, but I don’t think I could bring myself to write in any of my strategy guides… Even if it were in pencil, I just wouldn’t ever feel it looked “right” anymore. Probably because I’m anal about that sort of thing. But when it’s a record of a previous owner, I love it! Plus pretty much all Japanese have awesome handwriting.

The majority of the book is rather standard fare: It details how to get your farm started, the variety of festivals and when they occur, and most importantly of all… how to woo the ladies. But above all, my favorite pages of the book are the first five or so, which depict in the most adorable comics the basic premise of the game and the various tasks related to farming you’ll engage in over the course of the game.

Be nice to your chickens, cows, and sheep, and they’ll provide you with eggs, milk, and wool! I’ve never seen a chicken so happy to lay an egg.

Check out the wide variety vegetables available over the course of the year! Our protagonist sure likes fantasizing about them. (left bubble with eggplant: autumn, middle bubble with tomato: summer, right bubble with lettuce: spring)

Don’t forget to think about your future once you’ve gotten settled into a routine! Our protagonist… thinks about babies as he does his daily hoeing. 

And finally, I’ve saved the best for last:

Check out all the various events that happen throughout the year! Hey, wait a second… Harvest Moon condones cock fighting? They may call it the “chicken festival,” but I think we all know what’s really going on there.

In closing, I must ask you: What is a strategy guide without a game? Nothing, that’s what! That’s why I made sure to get my hands on a Japanese copy of Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town as soon as humanely possible. My dear Twitter friend in Japan managed to find me a pristine in-box copy for an extremely reasonable price! Pictures coming in a post tomorrow.

Japan Envy: Japanese Cave Story 3D art is proof that Japan does everything better

I must confess, I haven’t played Cave Story. I’ve downloaded the free version, but it’s just one of those things I haven’t gotten around to… I know, I know! Shame on me. I feel like my shame of not having played so many important titles is a recurring theme on this blog…

Anyways! I’m not here to talk about game-related shame. I’m here to talk about Cave Story 3D, a game that was but a small blip on my radar, namely because I just could not stand the art direction NIS America went for on the 3DS remake. The original game’s art style was so quirky, so retro… Well, let me cut to the chase. For those of you who haven’t seen it, here’s the art that graced the NA/Europe cover:

Unfortunately, I can’t find anything appealing about this art style, so I never felt the need to have a physical copy of the game. Honestly, I feel like to completely negates the awesome feel of the original game, which, as we all know, was Japanese. The Japanese cover, however? Now that’s a different story…
Now that is gorgeous, if I do say so myself! The game is so much more appealing now! What’s that? “Don’t judge a game by its box art”? Yeah, well… 
Shinonoko, the artist behind said beautiful art, was also commissioned to do this promotional piece: 

Simply divine! Too bad the in-game graphics themselves aren’t being reworked for the Japanese release… Or are they? I’d rather not know the answer, because if it’s “yes” I’m going to have yet another reason to push me towards buying a Japanese 3DS, and my wallet just can’t handle that.

Interestingly, the Japanese version of the game will also include Ikki, Dragon Slayer, and Crazy Climber. 


What do you think of these new Cave Story 3D assets? And can anyone explain to me why Japan has all the fun?

Japan Envy: Schick x Evangelion

I know Japan is famous for their superbly weird merchandise, but I never thought the day would come when I’d be writing about an anime/razor crossover… Yup, you read that right. The razor company Schick has teamed up with hit sci-fi anime Evangelion in preparation for the upcoming remake film Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo (which isn’t coming out until fall, funnily enough), and will be releasing all manner of crazy tie-in razors.

If you ever wanted your razor stand to feature one of the absurdly popular female leads from the anime, now’s your chance, I suppose. More interesting than the stand, in my opinion, are the cell phone keychains they’ll be giving away with purchases:

Why does Eva 01 need a razor? The world will never know…

Finally, this promotional illustration does a brilliant job of summing up just how weird this campaign is:

Who knew Gendo found shaving so delightful? 
I’m not sure if someone in Schick went off the deep end or had a stroke of genius… I’m actually leaning towards the latter, ’cause I’m seriously starting to think I wouldn’t mind one of those keychains! If you’re finding yourself oddly intrigued by the campaign, you can view the official website here. Of course, as always, this is a Japan-only promotion. 

Vintage Finds: Talking Pikachu and… Rilakkuma?

I haven’t done a “Vintage Finds” post in quite a while, but that isn’t due to lack of awesome finds. In fact, I just scored a 50 cent grater the other day, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite kitchen utensils (freshly grated cheese! shredded vegetables!). But really, does anyone care? I figure this blog would be a lot more interesting to read if I had, at the very least, a hint of an overarching theme (it’s Japan-related stuff if you’re wondering). So no posts about cheese graters! But I did find some things yesterday that fit my self-imposed theme perfectly, so today marks the long-awaited return of the “Vintage Finds” series!

Let me tell you, there’s nothing better than walking 5 minutes down the street from your house to the local vintage shop to see what treasures it holds. I generally stop by once a week to see what new items they have, and every once in a while, I find something that I just have to have. Yesterday, Shaun and I ran into not one, but two items hailing from the land of the rising sun! 
You always have to wonder how a random Japanese toy such as a talking plastic Pikachu (above) makes its way to a moderately-sized suburb in Australia. And in such good condition! Interestingly, though it has a speaker on its back and a place to insert a battery, it doesn’t have any buttons or anything to indicate exactly how it works. I’m going to get a replacement battery soon so I can try it out and see if it actually works. But I wouldn’t be fussed if it was broken. That little pink poffin he’s holding is too cute! 
The next item we spotted (actually, though Shaun was with me, I’ll take all the credit for finding these treasures) was this handsome Rilakkuma doll. If you’re a frequenter of this blog, then you already know how much I adore Rilakkama (and if you don’t, now you do!). Funnily enough, it’s still got the tag, which indicates that the strap was manufactured in Japan in 2004. The previous owner took the liberty to blot out the suggested retail price, but I’m sure the $5 we paid for it is probably just as much, if not more, than what it cost originally. Honestly, though, it looks brand new! 
For now, these two fellows will join my other assorted treasures, but Shaun’s determined to put the Rilakkuma keychain on one of his bags, which I will begrudgingly allow when the time comes. Seriously, though, I kid. It’s nice to keep things looking pristine, but it’s also nice to use them as they were intended. 
Can you name all of the characters on my shelf? (two are duplicates, and the white rabbits and red thing between Pikachu and Rilakkuma don’t count) Hint: all are video game characters. First person to get them right gets a random sticker from my collection (hey, I’ve got some good ones!). 
Update: Ok, it’s come to my attention more than once that I’m losing serious Japanophile cred for not having any totoros in the above picture. But when did I ever say that was my whole collection? My totoros (oh yes, I have more than one) have a shelf of their own:

Guess who’s churning out some amazing Journey fanart?

Now, you may not have heard (because I somehow completely neglected to blog about it), but I completely and utterly loved Journey. In fact, it’s the first game I’ve given a 5 out of 5 score over at VGW!

One thing I’ve found really intriguing about Journey is how positively it’s been received in Japan. A quick search for Kaze no Tabibito (the game’s Japanese title, literally “People of the Wind,” often shortened to Kazebito) on Google brings all sorts of discussion and fanart for the download-only title. I’m not aware how popular thatgamecompany’s previous games were in the land of the rising sun, but download-only titles generally never really gain a very high following due to the fact that Japan just hasn’t jumped on the online gaming bandwagon in the same way the rest of the world has.  

Journey, however, appears (at least from a fan standpoint) to be changing that. There’s been a huge surge of fanworks for Journey from Japan in the recent weeks. Isn’t that fabulous? Now prepare to feast your eyes on some of the raddest Journey fanart around:

source

The above artist does the funniest illustrations! These selections are actually from a long strip of various images, and I highly recommend taking a look at the rest of them. You also need to take a look at the artist’s awesome Journey-themed Twitter page, even if you can’t understand Japanese. Too cute!

source

People who have played the game are probably wondering who on earth that bigger wanderer with the black robes is. Unless I’m missing something huge, he does not appear in the game anywhere, and is a product of fan imagination. What’s interesting about him is how popular he’s become, with various artists all over the internet depicting him as a sort of fatherly figure for the two, smaller wanderers. I don’t know about you, but I get a huge kick out of the above picture.

Update: Apparently the black and red wanderer is actually based on the game’s initial art from a series of prototypes released early on in the game’s development. The more you know!

source

I love how creative the fans are being with making new designs or imagining new scenarios for the wanderers. Did you see the Christmas-themed wanderer at the top left of the above image? Adorable!

source

Of course, I’m not discounting the amazing Journey fanart out there by artists who do not hail from Japan. I woudn’t have enough space to post all of the great work I’ve seen, even if I wanted to! But I think it’s worth highlighting how this title has really taken off in Japan. I hope we see much more love for download-only games in the future. But before I end this post, here’s one of my favorite pieces by a western artist (just so you all don’t think I’m playing favorite too much):

source

Have any Journey fanart you’d like to share? Feel free to do so in the comments!

The Secret Art of Otome Games

Before Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom was released in English this past Valentine’s Day, otome games remained largely off the radar of the vast majority of western gamers. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, Hakuoki hasn’t caused a huge surge of interest in otome games. Still, it’s been nice to see some people who wouldn’t normally pick up an otome game review Hakuoki or purchase it on a whim.

But reading about my friends’ and others’ first steps into the world of female-oriented visual novels and dating sims has reminded me how difficult the world of otome games can be for newcomers. I don’t by any means claim to be an authority, but there is one very important piece of advice that most fans of the genre often neglect to mention to inexperienced players that I’d like to make very clear:

In order to get a “good” end in an otome game, one must always select options with the character who’s ending they wish to obtain in mind. 

This may seem so obvious that it’s not even necessary to state, but I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t realize that was how I needed to play when I picked up my very first otome game. Ah, Christopher of Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 2nd Season, we just weren’t meant to be…

My first failed prospect

When presented with a game like a visual novel that allows one to choose from multiple options in order to advance the story through various “paths,” you’d first think to choose answers would be based on what you would do in real life, no? Or, at the very least, a player might fashion a new persona for the sake of playing the game and choose options based on what kind of character they were role-playing as.

How would this strategy fit into an otome game, then? Under normal logic you would think that based on the various options you choose, a male prospect would be selected by the game for you. Otome games, however, are not so advanced, and in an effort to create some kind of difficulty, have a very strict, structured way that they must be played in order to obtain the best endings.

Otome games are based around the idea that the player is going into the experience with a favorite character already in mind, first and foremost. Whether visual novel-style or featuring more sim-based elements, otome games leave little to no room for changing one’s mind, meaning that from the second the “start” button is pressed, all energy must be focused on obtaining one, and only one, “datable” character. This is because set parameters must be met and/or extremely specific options selected in order to advance to the “right”path. Make one wrong decision and it’s a “normal” end, or worse, game over.

It’s going to take a lot of trial and error to see scenes like these

With so many paths and endings to obtain and sometimes seemingly arbitrary decisions that must be made in order to reach them, many players of otome games read walkthroughs before or during play. Though this may seem like it takes all the fun out of getting the right ending through trial and error, saving and reloading a game file every time you make a bad decision (and you often won’t know what was a bad decision until the end of the game) can get extremely frustrating. No one plays otome games for the difficulty, anyway, so the easiest and fastest way to see the whole story unfold is often the most preferable. Luckily, many titles such as Hakuoki offer visual cues to indicate when correct answers have been chosen, and relationship meters that can be viewed at any time to see how well you’re doing with the game’s various characters.

So, next time you want to jump in to Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom or other such otome game, take a moment to consider which male prospect you would like to pursue before loading up the game. Character-specific endings are always so much more fulfilling than the generic ones, and you may even find yourself drawn to a character you wouldn’t have found appealing otherwise!

But, I’ve gotta admit: it’s a little depressing when you first realize what your mother always told you about just being yourself won’t get you any guys. Hah!