Author: Anne Lee

Battle Princess of Arcadia looks like a super cute, HD Odin Sphere

I’ve always been a fan of NIS America for consistently bringing super niche Japanese titles to western audiences, but I’ll admit many of their recent titles, such as Mugen Souls and the Neptunia series, haven’t really appealed to me. For one reason or another, however, I’ve never quite kept up to date with what their Japanese parent company, Nippon Ichi Software, has been working working on. Well, perhaps I should be, as I just read up on their upcoming September release, Battle Princess of Arcadia (Arukadiasu no ikusahime), and I must say, it looks right up my alley!

Edit: Whoops, it turns out that NIS is just the publisher. Apollosoft, the folks who did Ragnarok Tactics, are the developers!

The first thing about Battle Princess of Arcadia that caught my eye, aside from the fact that the characters seem to be plagued with the same disease that caused the Fire Emblem: Awakening characters to not have feet, is the game’s bright, watercolor-esque art style. As the title of the post suggests, it very much strikes me as a cute version of Odin Sphere, which can only be a good thing in my book!

Illustration of the game’s worlds

The gameplay itself looks to be quite similar to Odin Sphere, as well… At least in terms of the fact that both are 2D side-scrollers. Battle Princess of Arcadia has been described as a beat’em up title, suggesting a lack of tactical/RPG elements, but players will be able to have three characters in their party to swap in and out during a level at any given time, which should provide an added layer of strategy not seen in usual beat’em up games. In addition, you apparently even have an army to control: 

Though the environments aren’t nearly as detailed as those found in Odin Sphere, I’m really digging the overall look, and if the combat does tend toward the simpler side (I’ll admit Odin Sphere was a bit tough for me), then I think Battle Princess Arcadia could be a real winner. Oh, and there’s a goose king. for good measure: 

Adorable! Hopefully NISA will pick this one up, since it’s being published by their parent company. The game releases in Japan on September 26th, and I look forward to seeing how it’s received!

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn just launched and I’m already addicted

First, I should qualify that statement with the fact that not only did I participate in the phase four beta weekend, but I also put in some time during the early access period before today’s official launch, so it’s not like I just started yesterday! Of course, that probably makes me sound even crazier, especially since when I mentioned Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn on the other day’s podcast, it had only just piqued my interest. Well, all I can say is that a lot has happened since then!

This isn’t my first time playing an online game – long-time readers will recall that I had a brief stint with Phantasy Star Online 2 last year, but Final Fantasy XIV is much more of a traditional MMO in that you’re with hundreds, if not thousands, of players at the same time. I won’t delve far into the gameplay and systems because frankly, I don’t really know much beyond what I’ve played so far (approximately 10 hours), but I’ve heard it’s similar structurally to World of Warcraft. 

The first thing that drew me to FFXIV was its amazing art direction. In fact, I love the art so much that I immediately went and downloaded the PS3 theme as soon as I knew it was available. I hate to be superficial, but when a game’s art captures my heart, that can often be enough to make me want to give it a go. Since FFXIV had a free open beta weekend before the full launch, that’s exactly what I did!

Especially fun for the open beta weekend was the fact that people could choose to try the game out on both the PC and PS3, as normally players have to purchase both versions separately. I gave both a go, and while the PS3 version was competent (and ultimately the one I went with for logistical reasons), I can see why most MMO gaming is done on the PC. Unfortunately my PC isn’t much of a powerhouse, so I couldn’t get any real high quality screenshots, but even on a low-quality system the game looks very nice, which can again be chalked up to the great art direction. All of the pictures in this post, by the way, were taking on said PC during the open beta weekend.

Can’t have a Final Fantasy game without Moogles!

Of course, one of the most fun aspects of an MMO is creating your own character. As soon as I heard about the different races available in FFXIV, I knew I wanted to be a male Miqo’te. As you can see, the Miqo’te are blessed with some very neat cat-like characteristics, making them a popular choice for the catgirl-loving crowd in particular. My suave catboy is named Chive Thistlewood, continuing my trend of naming my characters after food. Here’s my full character card courtesy of Firestream.net:

For a starting class, I chose pugilist, which means Chive specializes in hand-to-hand combat. For a quick comparison, think Yuffie from Final Fantasy VII. From a gameplay perspective, I’m much more interested in getting in close and hacking away at enemies than I am at hanging back and dealing ranged damage or shooting fireballs, so it seemed like a good place to start. The great thing about Final Fantasy XIV, though, is that you can change your class at a drop of a hat by equipping a different weapon, so if I ever get tired of being a pugilist, a new class is just a click away! There are also a variety of non-combat classes such as fishing or mining, but I’ve decided that appearance is everything, so I’m working on leveling up my weaver class so I can outfit Chive in the best threads in town!

Race ya!

Suffice it to say, after playing just a few hours over the open beta weekend, I was hooked. I immediately went out and preordered the PS3 version in order to get an early access code (which meant I could start playing a few days before the official launch). Unfortunately, by the time I had committed myself to purchasing the game, the North American version of the amazing collector’s edition was all sold out, so I settled for the regular version… and then proceeded to scour the internet for stores selling the collector’s edition like the hopelessly obsessed woman I’ve become. Lo and behold, I managed to nab a European PAL copy, and should be coming in the mail in a few days! I’ll definitely do a post sharing that when it arrives.

What’s a Final Fantasy game without Chocobos?

Unfortunately, the game’s early access and official launch yesterday have been marred with issues that plague all MMO releases: login errors and overcrowded servers. I personally haven’t had many issues logging in until today, but I’ve been amazed to hear that some folks weren’t able to sign in at all during the early access, or that people literally can’t create characters on the servers they want because they’re full. Since none of this as been a major issue for me, it hasn’t significantly impacted my impressions of the game, but it’s worth noting for those reading this who are thinking of jumping on board.

If you asked me a month ago, I would’ve never thought Final Fantasy XIV would be my cup of tea. Now, I practically eat, drink, and sleep FFXIV! Okay, that might be a bit of a stretch, but it’s safe to say that this is the first Final Fantasy that has grabbed me in a number of years. I hope Chive and I have many more months, and maybe even years, of adventuring ahead of us!

Pokémon Center Osaka Part Two: The Haul

Originally I had just planned on doing one post on the Pokémon Center in Osaka, but it was so huge I had to split it in two! If you haven’t seen my first post on the store itself, I highly encourage you to go check it out. Today I’ll be showing off what I actually brought home with me!

One thing I was determined to pick up during my trip to Japan was a case for my 3DS XL, so I was beyond thrilled to spot this gorgeous case featuring Pikachu, Sylveon, and Eevee at the Pokémon Center. I love things that are equal parts adorable and functional!

Some of you may remember that I tweeted a photo of the Moo Moo Milk cell phone strap pictured above a few weeks back. Initially, I was surprised to see Miltank on the face of so many different items, and I was more strangely intrigued by the strap than anything. But when I couldn’t get it out of my head a couple days later, I decided that meant I needed it as a souvenir! I also couldn’t resist the Scraggy “gotsu gotsu metto” (rugged helmet) one, as Scraggy is one of my favorite newer Pokémon.

Now to decide where to put them! Though I could leave them in the packaging, I find it much more satisfying to actually use the things I buy, so I’ll definitely be taking them out and putting them through their paces.

In the end, I couldn’t walk away without something from the “Happy Party Time: Eevee & Friends” series. I’m a sucker for stationary, so I settled on the notepad above! It’s chock-full of cute:

The first page features some bonus stickers, followed by four different sheet designs, and even an illustrated back cover!

I also couldn’t pass up these amazing stamps! I can’t wait to stamp them on anything and everything.

Deco tape seems to be a current popular item in stationery stores in Japan. It’s similar to white-out tape, but rolls out a variety of cute little pictures on translucent tape, making it a clean and theoretically easy alternative to stamps. Unfortunately, I find them extremely difficult to use properly… But, well, at least they’re cute!

Even the packaging is cute! How can I throw it away?!

Here’s a test run I did with some of the stamps and deco tape on a sheet of the Eevee party paper. It’s a tad disappointing that the deco tape is so hard to use – it’s extremely hard to place the tape without it tearing or warping, but perhaps I’m just clumsy!

Of course, I also had to get some writing implements to go along with all my stationery! I love the Oshawott swimming in ramen, a Fukuoka regional item. Funnily enough, all the regional items are available in every Pokémon Center, so while I would’ve liked to get Osaka’s special designs, I just happened to prefer the Fukuoka one!

Finally, I ended my Pokémon Center shopping spree with some Pikachu cookies! I haven’t opened them yet, so I’ll save that for a future Taste Test post, but isn’t the tin awesome? I don’t even care if the cookies themselves are good – at least I’ll be able to reuse the tin!

There’s a different Pikachu pose on each side. Brilliant!

Well, what do you think? Did I go a little nuts, or show some restraint? I’m personally quite happy with my haul, so I’d say it was a good trip! Though of course I already want to go back…

Dreams Come True: Reliving My Childhood through Little Witch Academia

It probably goes without saying that as you grow older, your tastes change, and even perhaps mature. I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds myself increasingly cynical of modern media, be it film, anime, video games, or one of the many other forms of entertainment available today. Believe it or not, when I was in high school, I recall myself boastfully telling a friend that there wasn’t a single anime I’d seen that I didn’t like. Let me assure you, I’ve watched some anime that I wouldn’t think twice about going back to now! These days, however, I find myself in the complete opposite position – while I still like anime, it’s much more difficult to find titles I enjoy, and there are only a handful of series that I would wholeheartedly recommend to friends without hesitation.

I’m not really interested in talking about why it gets harder to enjoy certain things as you age, because that’s a whole other topic in and of itself. Instead, I’d like to highlight a title that instantly brought me back to that feeling I had when I first saw Sailor Moon transform on Cartoon Network many years ago: Little Witch Academia.

The first thing you should know about Little Witch Academia is that it’s available for free, subtitled, legally on YouTube direct from the studio that created it, so I highly suggest for anyone reading this to go check it out! It’s only one episode and clocks in at a little under 30 minutes, so it’s not a big time investment, either.

The short was created by Studio TRIGGER, a fairly new studio formed by former Gainax animators known for their work on titles such as FLCL, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt. As a huge fan of Gurren Lagann, the studio automatically hit “must-watch” status in my book, though before Little Witch Academia, the only works they had produced were the web series Inferno Cop and the opening animation to the 3DS game Project X Zone.

Little Witch Academia is fairly unique in that it was produced through the Young Animator Training Project in which four studios are selected to receive government funding to produce short films as part of an effort to train young Japanese animators. While it originally aired in Japanese cinemas in March alongside three other shorts as part of Anime Mirai 2013, TRIGGER later decided to release a subtitled English version on YouTube and Crunchyroll to gauge how well it would be received internationally.

Well, those efforts must have proved fruitful for the studio, as not only did they announce a second episode of Little Witch Academia, but they launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to increase the total time of the episode from 20 to 35 minutes that was fully funded within five hours of going up! The Kickstarter finished today at a whopping $625,518, and the studio has stated that if the sequel does well, they may even consider turning it into a full series or feature length film.

Not only that, but TRIGGER will also be opening preorders for Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray of the first episode of Little Witch Academia on August 13th that contains an additional making-of video and a whopping 112 page artbook of sketches, character art, and illustrations from the gorgeous short. Considering all of this has become possible due to one animated short being available for anyone to watch for free online, it’s truly an amazing feat and definitely reflects both the quality of the work and the gap it fills in the anime industry.

But what is it that makes Little Witch Academia so special? For me, the first few minutes of the episode where a young girl, who we later find out is the protagonist, Akko, attends the magic show of her idol, the witch Shiny Chariot, sums it up perfectly. Shiny Chariot dazzles Akko and the rest of her audience with her magical prowess, ending with the advice, “never forget, a believing heart is your magic!” The complete awe and adoration on Akko’s face during this sequence is, admittedly, exactly how I felt as a child watching Sailor Moon, and aside from the occasional Studio Ghibli production, I haven’t had an animated Japanese feature evoke the same sense of wonder in me since.

Time then skips forward to the present day, where Akko is a student at an academy for witch girls. Though she falls asleep in class and shows no real magical talent, she continues to look up to Shiny Chariot as a source of inspiration, even though the other witches condemn her for giving people the wrong impression of what it means to be a witch. Again, Akko’s clumsy nature, paired with her passion to succeed, is reminiscent of many other magical girl series.

At a time when fetishization of high school girls (and younger) saturates much of the anime (and manga) scene, it’s great to see a show that embraces the magical girl genre to create a world for both children and adults to enjoy with an abundance of non-sexualized female characters. While it I find myself less drawn to coming-of-age stories as I grow older, Little Witch Academia manages to capture the magic of Japanese animation and the “girl power” tone that first got me hooked on the medium over 15 years ago.

But you don’t have to be a fan of magical girls or a woman looking for a strong cast of female characters to relate to to enjoy Little Witch Academia, as it is one of the most well-animated and genuinely fun shows to come out in a long time. If you’re like me and are finding yourself bogged down by your own cynicism for current art and entertainment, give Little Witch Academia a shot. You’ve got nothing to lose!

If you watched Little Witch Academia and didn’t get a chance to support the episode 2 Kickstarter, be sure to keep your eye open for preorders for the Collector’s Edition when they open on the 13th!

Japan Envy: Rilakkuma x Yamanote Train Line

Nearly every popular character in Japan gets its own themed train at some point, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Rilakkuma is finally getting his turn on the tracks. While this may not officially be the first time Rilakkuma’s adorable mug has appeared on the side of a Japanese train, I did do some extensive research (aka Googling in Japanese) and couldn’t come up with any previous examples, so I’m going to go ahead and call this Rilakkuma’s big train debut! It’s as wonderful as you’d expect:

official site
This Rilakkuma train collaboration is with the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, an extremely busy and famous line that circles the city and hits nearly every one of its major stations. The train is known for its green color, so of course all of the promotional materials, and the train itself, are a lovely shade of green: 

Not only is the outside covered in cute (just look at the windows!), but the inside is covered in special Rilakkuma posters, as well!
Maracas? 

Rilakkuma himself even came out for the train’s debut! Look closely and you can see the Rilakkuma head silhouette on his hat and the buttons of his jacket. Too cute!

The Rilakkuma train will only be running until August 16th, so if you happen to be in Tokyo, make sure to hop on before it disappears!

Of course, there’s always merchandise for those of us who can’t make it or want a special souvenir of the event…

I’m particularly fond of the train design itself, so I’d kill for one of the file folders or the plush train cell phone strap. Or how about that “train enthusiast” Rilakkuma plush on shown on top left? He’s even carrying a little camera!

So, even though it’s only been less than two months since my trip to Japan, the land of the rising sun continues to give me reasons why I have to go back! I think it’s safe to say these Japan Envy posts won’t be going away anytime soon…

Got a craving for more Rilakkuma after reading this post? Support Chic Pixel by purchasing Rilakkuma products through my affiliate link so I can talk about even more crazy and cute stuff from Japan!

Pokémon Center Osaka Part One: The Store

Without a doubt, one of the places I was looking forward to visiting most during my trip to Japan was the none other than the ultimate Pokémon fan’s paradise, the Pokémon Center. The Pokémon Center in Osaka changed locations since I was last in Japan in 2009, and luckily for me its new locale happened to be less than 10 minutes from my hotel! With it so close by, I had to make sure I stopped by a few times to make sure I didn’t miss any awesome merchandise (and fill up on StreetPasses, of course!).

Each Pokémon Center has its own two mascot Pokémon in addition to Pikachu. As you can see above, Osaka’s mascots are Meowth and Tepig, which makes for a pretty good trio, don’t you think?

See how there’s absolutely no one in the store, aside from the poor employee who got caught in my photo? That’s because I took these on a weekday morning. All of the employees were wearing these awesome 15th anniversary t-shirts (here’s a closeup of the logo)… I liked the design so much that I asked if I could purchase one, but apparently they’re uniforms and not for sale. Bummer!

Right near the main entrance was a great display of a number of limited-run Pokémon Center items, which I assume was there for the 15th anniversary celebration (though it could be a permanent fixture, someone please correct me if you know). Why hasn’t someone made a Pokémon museum yet?

A closer look at the counter revealed quite the array of Pikachu plushies from various years!

The TV was constantly showing commercials for Pokémon X/Y

Part of the 15th anniversary celebration included special Pokémon distributions at Pokémon Centers around the country. The Osaka store had a level 100 Emboar for download, but unfortunately I only brought my Japanese 3DS and an English copy of Pokémon Black 2 with me, so due to region-locking restrictions I wasn’t able to connect to the wifi to download an Emboar. Bad planning on my part!

These memorial coin machines had the most adorable designs!

As you can see, the store was practically empty! It was completely packed with children and their parents on the weekend, though.

Of course, there was also a big display for the latest Pokémon movie. I’ve never been a fan of the movies myself, but something here caught my eye…

… the display for the Pikachu short that will play before the film! Talk about cute! I’d probably go just to see that…

The announcement of the new Eevee evolution Sylveon brought an onslaught of merchandise focused on all the different Eevee forms. I’m pretty sure an Eevee fan would be in heaven here!

A poster for one of the current Eevee collections

Remember the Pokémomo and regional Pokémon goods I wrote about back in April? They had their own displays, too!

It’s hard not to be overwhelmed by all the cute! These Pokémon dolls were adorable, but I couldn’t decide which one I wanted, so in the end I didn’t buy any. Looking back, I wish I grabbed one of the Bulbasaurs!

While there were a lot of the usual Pokémon favorites on display, I must say I was quite surprised to see so many Rotom goods.

Speaking of unusual Pokémon, what’s with the fascination with Miltank? While we’re at it, why not release some Luvdisc merchandise, too? Well, okay, I get a kick out of Miltank, but Luvdisc is pushing it a little, even for me.

But would you believe that the only merchandise I was able to find for my current favorite Pokémon, Swadloon, was this keychain set? I guess I’m the only one who understands the true appeal of Swadloon…

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of the Pokémon Center in Osaka! Since I took so many photos, I’ve decided to save my haul for an upcoming post. Keep your eyes peeled for it later this week!

And the Steins;Gate giveaway winner is…

“Congratulations!”

Jade! Please leave your email address in the comments so we can discuss how to get you your prize!

As always, thanks to everyone who entered, and I’m very sorry that you all couldn’t win something. The good news is that I have another giveaway planned for August as part of my Japan 2013 trip coverage, so be sure to check back often! I have a feeling this one will be of particular interest to otome game fans…

I’ve also got a massive Pokémon Center Osaka post in the works for tomorrow, so if you enjoyed my Steins;Gate Café post, I highly encourage you to check that out when it goes live. Don’t worry, the Japan trip coverage is far from over!