A Kirby Café is Opening in Japan This August

Kirby Cafe Japan Coming Soon

Calling all Kirby fans! Starting this August, you’ll be able to eat all manner of food shaped like the adorable pink puffball at the brand new Kirby Café… if you live in Japan, of course. Unveiled by the official HAL Labratory Twitter account, the cafe will be a limited-time affair, so if you don’t live in … Read moreA Kirby Café is Opening in Japan This August

Fujoshi Subscription Box FUJOBOX Now On Indiegogo

Midori Space Patrol Luluco hotties

Midori Space Patrol Luluco hotties

[Update 8/12/16] – I have gotten a number of messages regarding the Fujobox campaign, and I would like to clarify that I am in no way affiliated with the creators, nor did I personally back this campaign. It seems they relaunched the a “part 2” after the first fundraiser was unsuccessful, and were due to send out the first Fujobox in November 2016. However, backers have heard nothing from the creators since the campaign was funded on September 6th, 2016. I would exercise extreme caution before donating money to anything related to Fujobox. This post will be updated in the future if any developments occur.

I’ve sampled many a Japanese subscription service over the years, with themes ranging from candy to cute and nerdy merchandise. One demographic distinctly lacking in a subscription box that caters to them, however, is fujoshi, or boys love/yaoi fans. Until now! The FUJOBOX (short for “fujoshi box”) recently launched an Indiegogo campaign to set up a subscription service for fujoshi and fudanshi (male BL/yaoi fans), and are looking to bring all kinds of awesome merchandise from series ranging from Free! to Super Lovers to fans worldwide.

Read moreFujoshi Subscription Box FUJOBOX Now On Indiegogo

Aksys Announces Not One, But Four Otome Game Localizations!

Code Realize celebration screenshot

Code Realize celebration screenshot

I had no idea going into this year’s Anime Expo that Aksys Games would announce not one, but four otome games localizations, but here we are! With Idea Factory International’s silence after releasing Amnesia: Memories, it wasn’t clear if and when we would see more Otomate games in English, but luckily Aksys Games has shown they value this market by showering fans with game announcements. And I couldn’t be happier!

[Update] Period Cube and Collar x Malice are available on Amazon!

Scheduled to release in 2017 for PS Vita in North America are Period CubeBad Apple WarsCollar x Malice. In addition, the Code: Realize fan disc will also be getting an English release. Since Aksys Games already brought over Code: Realize last year, it makes sense that they would release the fan disc (not quite a sequel, but rather extra content for fans of the original game), but all of these other titles came as a complete surprise!

[Update] Apparently Aksys Games also stated during their Anime Expo 2016 panel that they are trying to release Hakuouki: Sweet School Life, the Hakuoki AU spinoff game set in a Japanese high school, as well.

Read moreAksys Announces Not One, But Four Otome Game Localizations!

Swooning Over: Nōra and the Time Studio

Nora and the Time Studio DS game

Nora and the Time Studio DS game

In honor of the start of JRPG July, I thought it would be fun to do a feature on a cute little game that unfortunately never made it out of Japan, Nōra and the Time Studio: The Witch and the Misty Forest (Nōra to Toki no Kōbō: Kiri no Mori no Majo)! Developed by Atlus, Nōra and the Time Studio is completely separate from their flagship series Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, swapping demons for Atelier-like alchemy. But since I haven’t yet had a chance to play it, today I’m going to focus on swooning over the packaging of the game and premium booklet! 

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Announcing JRPG July 2016!

JRPG July 2016

JRPG July 2016

July is nearly upon us, and that means it’s time to start picking out games for JRPGS July! Created as part of my monthly Community Game-Alongs, JRPG July has proved to be the most popular theme by far. I’m excited to see what everyone plays throughout the month!

But first, allow me to explain the rules: to participate in JRPG July, simply play a JRPG. That’s it! But to get the most out of the festivities, share your experiences and connect with other participants by tagging your posts with #JRPGJuly on social media. You don’t have to stop there, though – why not share a blog post, podcast, or gameplay video, too? The goal is to get as many people playing and enjoying JRPGs as possible, so do spread the word!

Since July is often a slow release month, this is a great time to knock off some games in your backlog, but there are also a lot of great JRPGs that have recently come out or will be coming out in July. Below are a few you might want to check out, but you can also head to the 2014 and 2015 JRPG July posts for more recommendations!

Read moreAnnouncing JRPG July 2016!

Code: Realize Character CD Vol. 4 Impey Review + Song Translation

Code: Realize Character CD vol. 4 Impey review

Code: Realize Character CD vol. 4 Impey review

Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~ is one of my favorite recent otome games, and while the cast is full of great characters, I have a soft spot for the goofy inventor Impey Barbicane. My affection for him is largely due to his voice actor, Showtaro Morikubo, recently becoming a favorite of mine when I fell in love with his portrayal of Makishima in Yowamushi Pedal, but I will admit that personality-wise, I’m slightly more partial to suave yet sassy characters like Lupin (sorry Impey!). Regardless, I was beyond thrilled when I found out that flowermiko had purchased me a copy of Impey’s new character CD to review for the site!

Read moreCode: Realize Character CD Vol. 4 Impey Review + Song Translation

Sunday Spotlight: Sonson’s Kawaii Shiba Inu Art

Sonson Sunday Spotlight

I have to admit I’ve gotten a little shiba inu obsessed over the past few months (getting a shiba inu puppy does that to you). Part of this new obsession means that I am constantly on the lookout for the cutest shiba inu merchandise, and independent artist Sonson’s shop definitely fits the bill! Feast your eyes on … Read moreSunday Spotlight: Sonson’s Kawaii Shiba Inu Art