Author: Anne

Catch-Up Corner: E3 Announcements and Japanese Treats Subscription Service

Phew! It’s already the start of a new week here in Australia, but I’m going to squeeze a Catch-Up Corner in before the clock strikes twelve in the last area of the world where it’s still Sunday.

Since this past week was all about the big E3 conference in the gaming world, I couldn’t help but tune in to some of the news and streams. For the most part, E3 doesn’t really feel like an event that caters to someone like me, but I was really impressed at how Nintendo came out guns blazing to announce a bunch of interesting titles and produce the most fun “conference” of the big three. I’m sure everyone has had their fill of E3 news and recaps (I know I have), so here’s a few quick favorites of mine from the show:

Splatoon (Wii U) – First of all, what a charming idea! Splatoon is a third-person “shooter” that pits cute little squid children against each other in paint splattering fights, and I couldn’t be more charmed by a game. I just love the premise of hurling paint to “claim” territory, and the fact that the characters can transform into actual squids to quickly traverse the area is such a neat mechanic. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this would sell me on a Wii U, but I’d definitely pick it up if I had one.

Fantasy Life (3DS) – Long have I awaited the day that Level 5 would announce a localization of Fantasy Life, their Animal Crossing-esque life sim/RPG for the 3DS. I could very well have purchased the Japanese version, but it’s always great to see interesting titles like this get an English release. The game will be out on October 24th, and I definitely plan on grabbing a copy.

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4 & Xbox One) – I have rather mixed feelings about this news, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t one of the more exciting announcements to come out of E3. Fans have been clamoring for an English version of Final Fantasy Type-0 (PSP) for ages, but I had pretty much given up hope and even have a copy of the Japanese version sitting on my shelf from my last trip to Japan. An HD release sounds like the perfect way to bring it to an English-speaking audience while still keeping the game on relevant platforms, but I just don’t understand why there isn’t a Vita version like Square Enix did for Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD! I’m most definitely not buying a PS4 or Xbox One anytime soon, so I think I’ll just have to stick with the Japanese PSP version. It’s great news for those with the hardware, though!

On the video front, I’ve posted an unboxing of a new Japanese snack subscription service, aptly named Japanese Treats! This is their first month, and I have to say, I’m really impressed with the initial selection of goodies. Please do check out the unboxing video to see what I got, and you can expect a full review of their service this week!

… And now I enter crunch time, as I’ve got a seminar to do on Friday! After that it will be relatively smooth sailing until I head to Japan on July 12th!

Shop Spotlight: BeagleCakes Art & Illustration

I’m always excited to find a new artist or crafter, so I was thrilled to learn about Maggie Tsou and her adorable brand BeagleCakes!

What I love about Maggie’s style is it’s unique while at the same time having a definite kawaii Japanese-inspired aesthetic. She specializes in illustration, but her Etsy shop stocks everything from super cute stickers to miniature acrylic sweets accessories.

Maggie was kind enough to send me a sample selection of some of her hand-cut stickers, which you can see above. All of them are really adorable, but I especially like the band-aid, chubby brown cat, and ghost cat on the right! I can’t wait to stick them all over my stuff.

 

The stickers arrived surprisingly quickly – though I was given an estimate of 3 weeks for them to arrive, they came within a week and a half! Maggie was really pleasant to communicate with, which is always a bonus when shopping at a small business, in my opinion. Her prices are very reasonable, too, with a stack of 12-15 stickers of various designs running only a few dollars. Needless to say, I highly recommend her Etsy store! Here are a few of my favorite items:

Puppy and bunny cupcake stickers!
Alpaca stickers!
Painted wooden kitty keychain!

She has many more items available, such as sketch and illustration commissions, tons of adorable stickers (including Sailor Moon ones!), and lots more. Be sure to follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr to stay updated on her new products! She has stores on both Etsy and Storenvy.

Apricotsushi Reviews: The Man of Tango

When I first saw the cover of Man of Tango, I was sure it had to be bara, or gei comi, a genre of manga distinct from boys’ love (hereafter BL) due to it usually targeting a gay male audience rather than women. The author, Tetuzoh Okadaya, however, is most definitely a woman, and more importantly, she was explicitly approached by an editor to write a BL story, which resulted in The Man of Tango. I’m always excited to see BL that shakes up the genre (that’s what I’m writing my thesis on, after all!), so her unique style combined with her comments about being inspired by bara visionary Gengoroh Tagame had me very excited to see what The Man of Tango had to offer.


The Man of Tango is a one-shot manga about the life of tango aficionado Angie, a man that despite his deep passion for dance has never been able to awaken his true spirit, nor find a life partner. But since this is BL, all that changes when he meets Hiro, a nondescript half-Latin, half-Japanese businessman who soon finds himself drawn in by Angie’s charms. Angie reminds Hiro of his home and youth, but not all of his memories are positive. Hiro soon finds himself opening up to Angie in more ways than one, simultaneously being drawn into the mystical world of tango and gay romance.

First, I have to point out that The Man of Tango does a lot of great things that you don’t see in BL very often. Aside from the love-it-or-hate-it art style, it’s one of the few BL stories I’ve read that prominently features a female character who isn’t being used as a catalyst for disaster between the male couple (usually in the form of a third love interest, jealous ex, etc.). Instead, Angie’s tango partner and roommate Bene is a warm, appealing female supporting character, which is most welcome as a breath of fresh air in the otherwise male-dominated BL genre.

Of course, the other major draw of The Man of Tango is in the subject matter. It’s clear that Tetuzoh Okadaya appreciates the art of tango, and I felt like even I learned something about the art, or at least had a greater appreciation for it, by the end of the story. I also loved the fact that both of the male protagonists are older, with Angie being in his late thirties and even sporting some facial hair (though I suppose you could say that’s a Latin stereotype). The story is also appropriately mature, though it borders on dark, especially when delving into Hiro’s childhood, so those looking for a happy-go-lucky romance may find it too heavy. Personally, however, I really enjoyed the more mature themes.

It’s the fact that The Man of Tango does so much well that makes the areas where it stumbles all the more frustrating. I am never a fan of the “but I’m not gay!” line appearing in BL, but The Man of Tango takes it to an extreme by also having Angie take advantage of Hiro when he is drunk (see above image), making Hiro’s subsequent revelation that he has feelings for Angie and has already engaged in X-rated activities with him not romantic in the least. Not only did Angie’s sexual advances on Hiro when he is inebriated make me dislike him, but Hiro’s constant “I’m not gay, but I like you!” admissions felt especially juvenile when compared to the other issues the story tackles, which made me dislike him, too. So, in the end, while I enjoyed a number of the overarching themes of the story, both male protagonists were obnoxious and the story did not convey the feeling of a great, timeless romance by having a relationship building out of a non-consentual first sexual encounter. I’m not saying that non-consentual sex has no place in a mature storyline, but in this case, it just wasn’t handled in a satisfactory manner (in fact, it wasn’t even regarded as non-consentual by any of the characters).

The Man of Tango may not be for everyone, but I still think it does a lot of interesting things and I hope to see more from Tetuzoh Okadaya in the future. Most importantly, let’s see more older protagonists, mature themes, female side-characters, and interesting art in BL! I just hope we can move past non-consentual sex and “only gay for you” shenanigans sooner rather than later.

Disclaimer: A copy of the manga was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review

Japan Envy: Ikemen Beauty Salon

Time and time again, Japan proves that they know how to market products to an extremely wide range of consumers. Call me gullible, but I am almost always on board with whatever weird collaborative campaign or new marketing tactic Japanese companies come up with (yes, even Mister Donut x MOS Burger). Today in “awesome things you’ll only find in Japan,” drug store chain Matsumoto Kiyoshi has teamed up with voice actor Tomokazu Sugita to offer… an otome drama web series?

In Ikemen Beauty Salon, every single guy (pictured above) is voiced by none other than Tomokazu Sugita, who you may know as “that guy in every anime and otome game ever.” But these aren’t just any guys – they’re “cleansing sommelier” specialists, and their number one job is to help you with your daily cleansing routine!* While at first glance, Ikemen Beauty Salon appears to be a otome drama CD series, it’s actually a web-based audio experience that can only be listened to if you buy the product that corresponds to your Sugita guy of choice. 

For example, Nao Yoshino here recommends this Mandom Bifesta cleansing lotion. In order to listen to Nao’s lotion-applying tips, you need to go to a Matsumoto Kiyoshi store and pick up the product. When you purchase one or more of the designated products, you’ll be granted with a QR code and special passcode to input on the site on your receipt. I can’t imagine any of the character scenarios are that long, but it certainly seems like a fun way to get otome fans to try out some of these beauty products! I know I’m definitely going to pick up at least one of them so I can see what kind of audio I’ll be treated to when I’m in Japan. 
What do you think? Have I completely lost it, or is this a neat idea? 
*”Cleansing sommelier” is the exact phrase used on the Ikemen Beauty Salon website, but a little research tells me “sommelier” generally refers to a waiter who is an expert on wine? Though apparently in Japan it’s common to use “sommelier” to refer to an expert of a variety of things. There are even vegetable sommeliers! The more you know. 

Apricotsushi Reviews: rainblocks

Every once in a while, I write about the occasional mobile game. The time I actually spend playing games on my iPhone or Android tablet, however, is actually even less. The main reason for this is that I have a wealth of quality titles for my dedicated handheld gaming devices, and I hardly ever find a game worthy enough of putting similar hours into on a mobile device.

While I tend toward playing otome games on mobile devices since that’s where they seem to be most easily available these days, I’ve never really felt that they fit the hardware. I find the kinds of experiences that excel best on mobile devices are bite-sized yet polished titles that can be picked up while waiting for a friend at the bus stop or microwaving your lunch and be put away after a couple of minutes just as easily. Eric Koziol, developer of subaku and the upcoming rainblocks, really gets this, and that’s why his games remain some of my favorites to play on my phone.

rainblocks is a cute little sliding puzzle game that takes place on a three-by-three grid filled with eight colored tiles. Essentially, all you need to do is match the two tiles corresponding with whichever one is currently shown at the top of the screen by tapping tiles one at a time to slide them around the board. There’s a timer constantly ticking down, and it’s your goal to get as high a score as possible before it runs out, with various helpful and detrimental icons appearing on the board as you play.

Admittedly, rainblocks takes a little getting used to. After cruising through the tutorial and learning about the weather-inspired status effects, mud and ice, that make it more difficult to move tiles on the board and the handy rainbow icon that will completely clear the board of pesky intrusions, I jumped straight into my first game. My immediate intuition was to match tiles willy nilly (which doesn’t do anything), and swipe the blocks instead of tapping them, which, while slightly more satisfying from a hands-on perspective, was actually slowing me down. After a few rounds, I finally began to find my rhythm, and soon I was even thinking ahead to making combos, as the game cycles through the ROY G BIV rainbow color spectrum for tile matchups, making it possible to plan ahead and rack up points by clearing multiple colors in one go.

For me, the games I choose to play in my free time are nearly as much about appealing aesthetics as they are compelling gameplay, which is another reason why I’m so smitten on rainblocks. I just love the simple, yet colorful pixelated art style, and the music, composed by Manami Matsumae of Mega Man fame is both catchy and soothing at the same time. As the timer runs out, the sun slowly sets in the background landscape, which is another great touch that really sums up the quaint, straightforward nature of this puzzle game.

rainblocks is equal parts solid gameplay and quirky, loveable aesthetics, and is a great way to brighten your day on your iOS device of choice. It can be a relaxing or hectic experience depending on how serious you get about topping the leaderboards, and it’s the perfect style of game to pick up and fiddle with for a few minutes before returning your phone to your pocket/bag (though you may need to make ample use of the pause button in that scenario). Even better is the fact that the game will be available to try for free when it launches on June 12th, with a single in-app purchase of $0.99 offering the option to remove ads and change the difficulty level for those that want it. If you need a new game to play for June’s puzzle-themed Community Game-Along, perhaps you should give it a shot!

An advance code for rainblocks was provided by the developer for the purpose of this review

Catch-Up Corner: Regional Hello Kitty Blendy Stick Flavors, Yowamushi Pedal, and Website Woes

Ah, there’s nothing quite like a long weekend after a endlessly stressful week! This Monday is the Queen’s Birthday public holiday here in Queensland (though apparently her actual birthday isn’t in June at all), and while I don’t feel any particular fondness for the monarchy even though I live in a Commonwealth nation now, I tip my proverbial hat at Her Majesty for the day off. 
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There are two other things you could say I have quite the fondness for, however: Japanese collaboration campaigns and regional merchandise. That makes this new Blendy stick x Hello Kitty series is a real double whammy for me. Not only is the Blendy stick instant coffee/tea brand teaming up with Hello Kitty, but their new series of drinks are regional flavors only available in certain areas! Isn’t the packaging fabulous?

Unfortunately from the looks of the official shop listing, these may be rather hard to find depending on where in Japan you visit. There’s only one shop in Tokyo that carries any of these, and it’s the bottom middle Tochiotome Strawberry Café au Lait! The Tochiotome strawberry is a specialty of Tochigi prefecture, where the Tochiotome Blendy sticks will be primarily sold. The other flavors will be featured in other popular Japanese tourist destinations – check out the company’s website for the complete list.

via @acosmos

I don’t always talk about what anime I’m currently watching, but I’m going to try to remedy that! Hopefully this new weekend column will be the perfect opportunity to write a paragraph or two about whatever’s currently caught my fancy.

This week, I started Yowamushi Pedal, a shōnen bicycle anime currently at episode 34 of a 38-episode season. From what I understand, it’s pretty popular in Japan, and has already been renewed for a second season. Like many male sports anime, it also happens to have a large female fanbase, many of whom like to pair up the male characters with one another in fan-written dōjinshi… I must admit, that aspect of the series is one of the reasons why I was initially drawn to it, as I’m always looking for new things that I can relate to my thesis (not that I’m running out of stuff to cover…).

The first two episodes hooked me right away, I really like the relatively slow build the series takes to get the main character interested in the sport we all know he ultimately becomes obsessed with. The main character, Onoda, is also an otaku, and unlike the vast majority of media that depicts male otaku as moe-obsessed creeps, he is an extremely loveable protagonist who comes across as a very genuine shy teenager that I personally relate to pretty strongly. For me to relate to a character in a series that’s 90% about boys and sports is a pretty amazing feat! That said, I was a little disappointed to see the show fall into fairly stereotypical plot and character tropes as it developed. Since I’m only on episode 7, I hope it surprises me again sooner rather than later! I know quite a people who think pretty highly of it, so I’m willing to stick with it a while longer.

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If you’re reading this, you already know that Chic Pixel is back to residing at chicpixel.blogspot.com temporarily, but I just wanted to give another update on the situation: since chic-pixel.com is down, the podcast feed is no longer working, either. It looks like everything will likely be offline until the 12th as the domain is being transfered to a new host (long story). Disqus is also broken, which means all previous comments aren’t showing up right now, but I think once I start up the redirect again I should be able to fix it so they all reappear. Fingers crossed that my Google ranking and whatnot won’t be totally ruined by the time the site is back. Thanks for sticking with me through the move!

Apricotsushi Reviews: Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA f

Hatsune Miku and her Vocaloid friends are relatively unknown outside of their homeland of Japan, but have a steadily growing western fanbase that even counts Lady Gaga in their ranks. For those who aren’t familiar, Vocaloids are a series of Japanese voice banks created from actual singers that can be used to create completely original music and vocals from scratch. Each Vocaloid voice bank is represented by a unique character, with Hatsune Miku undoubtedly being the most famous due to her iconic turquoise twin tails and vibrant, youthful voice.

The communal aspect of Vocaloids is one of the reasons why they’re so interesting – what songs become hits are entirely up to the fans, and even what Hastune Miku wears in her music videos is conceived by fans. So, while the Vocaloid rhythm game series Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA is ultimately developed and published by Sega, the songs included are all created and popularized by the fans themselves!

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA f for the Vita and its companion, Project DIVA F for the PS3 are the first entries in the series to see an English release. Eager to support the localization, I picked up Project DVIA F when it first came out, but found it difficult to get into on the PS3. I love rhythm games, but ultimately find them much more satisfying on handhelds, which is why I was thrilled when Sega announced that they would be bringing over the Vita version a few months later.

Project Diva f on the Vita is everything I love about rhythm games and more. Though I can understand the idea of listening to music sung by a computer program might be off-putting at first for some, I personally found the vast majority of songs toe-tappingly fun, and I highly suggest checking out a few of YouTube to get a taste of the range of musical styles represented by Vocaloid songs.

Of course, catchy songs are only half of what it takes to make a good rhythm game. Luckily, Sega has married a quality Vocaloid song library with precise mechanics and just the right difficulty curve to keep me wanting to reply songs to achieve higher scores and perfect tougher difficulties. The easiest mode has players tapping only the O button in time with on-screen prompts, but more buttons are used with each difficulty increase until all face buttons need to be utilized at break-neck speed in order to pass a song. The harder difficulties definitely aren’t for the faint of heart, and the colorful, frantic music videos that play for each song make it easy to get distracted and miss a beat, but even the most rhtyhm-inept players should be able to enjoy the easiest difficulty.

In addition to the face button prompts and special colored arrows that indicate to the player to press both the directional button face button of the corresponding color simultaneously, there are also star notes that require players to quickly swipe the front or back touch screen with a finger. While this may sound easy in theory, the Project DIVA series is known for its dynamic positioning of button prompts that dance across the screen as the song plays, meaning concentration is extremely vital to following the note trajectory.

While the core of Project DIVA f is undoubtedly the rhythm gameplay, there is a huge amount of peripheral content in the form of customizable outfits and rooms, a song editor, and AR photo booth that will appeal to Vocaloid fans as well as those who enjoy customizing their game experiences. I never spent much time interacting with the five Vocaloids in their Diva Rooms, which acts as a mini simulation game that requires you to give your Vocaloids presents and “pet” them Nintendogs-style to increase their affection for you, but it’s a nice touch that can act as a nice break from the rhythm game aspect of Project DIVA f for those that want it.

Despite the lavish praise, I do have a few niggling annoyances with the game. The loading screens are too long and annoyingly frequent, and it always feels like it takes a few clicks too many to get to the selection I want in the menus. Since the PS3 version came out first with more songs, it’s a shame that the whole track list isn’t included in the initial price of the Vita version, but since the game only sets you back $30 and the DLC costs $10, it still ends up being $10 less than the retail price of the PS3 version (though, keep in mind, the Vita version is PSN-only). Finally, I couldn’t help but notice that the game isn’t running on the Vita’s native resolution, at least in the menus, as the character models look undoubtedly fuzzy when compared with the PS3 version. Thankfully, however, this isn’t noticeable during actual gameplay.

At least there are a ton of adorable loading screens – and you can use them as
wallpapers!

In all honesty, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA f is one of my favorite Vita games to date. It’s not without some imperfections, but it looks and plays wonderfully on the handheld, and is a must-have for any Vita-owning rhythm  game fan. I’m thrilled that the PS3 version did well enough for Sega to bring over its handheld counterpart, as it really is where this series thrives. Even better is the fact that they’ve already announced localizations of the PS3 and Vita versions of Project DIVA f 2nd for later this year, making the mid-year slump a great time to dive into the series in preparation for the sequel. I guarantee that if you give it a try, you’ll get at least one of the songs stuck in your head for days!  

Disclaimer: A code of Project Diva f was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.