Chic Pixel - cute and nerdy Japanese pop culture

Menu

Skip to content
  • about
    • portfolio
    • product finding service
  • contact
  • podcast
  • support
  • Subscribe

Pixel x Pixel Episode 76

11 / 26 / 2111 / 26 / 21

It’s a special (unplanned) Thanksgiving episode of Pixel x Pixel! Sit down with a tasty snack and enjoy two friends talking about the things they love. Marcus discusses his Checking the Score piece on Into the Pit, Anne gushes about her superhero research and recently-published article, the pair dish their full thoughts on Titane after watching it together, and lots more!

14:00 – Switch, Titane, Pikmin Bloom, Eternals, Good Omens
58:00 – Grand Theft Auto remasters, Activision debacle continues, UUUltra C BL game localization announced, Goemon Zero lost localization

https://chic-pixel.com/podcast/Pixel_x_Pixel_Episode_076.mp3

♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta

[DOWNLOAD] [ITUNES] [RSS]

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Pixel x Pixel Episode 75

11 / 12 / 2111 / 12 / 21

Abs, abs and more abs in this episode of Pixel x Pixel with Cupid Parasite out now on Nintendo Switch! Marcus prepares a Collector’s Cabinet article on the extravagant limited edition bundle, and Anne shares her first impressions in her own blog post. Plus, Anne regales the tale of a Star Wars costume party, and her homemade Ewok costume! Then, Marcus has thoughts about two films that start with “T,” and it turns out there is something about that Animal Crossing: New Horizons update to entice Anne back…

20:00 – Titane, Twister, Nightmare on Elm Street
38:00 – Maglam Lord localization announced, Super Sami Roll out on Switch, Animal Crossing: New Horizons update, Community Game-Along 2022 themes announced

https://chic-pixel.com/podcast/Pixel_x_Pixel_Episode_075.mp3

♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta

[DOWNLOAD] [ITUNES] [RSS]

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

First Impressions: Cupid Parasite

11 / 3 / 2111 / 3 / 21
Chic Pixel First Impressions

Idea Factory International’s first otome game localization in years, Cupid Parasite, is out today in North America, and Europe on November 5! This romantic comedy otome game is full of vibrant colors and a really fun retro pop Americana vibe, which is why I’ve had it on my radar since it came out in Japan. To celebrate this exciting release, I’ll be sharing some first impressions of the game, with a full review coming once I’ve completed all routes.

In Cupid Parasite, you play as Lynette Mirror, a top advisor for the marriage agency Cupid Corporation who takes on the 5 toughest clients at the company, known as the Parasite 5. Lynette has one thing up her sleeve, though – she’s the actual mythological goddess Cupid, and she’s come down to earth to prove to her father Mars that she doesn’t need godly powers to succeed at matchmaking humans.

The members of Parasite 5 have a range of extreme “quirks,” from the Thieving Parasite Allan who’s only interested in girls who already have partners to Ryuki, the Glamor Parasite who won’t even acknowledge a woman’s presence if she doesn’t satisfy his strict beauty ranking system. But Lynette isn’t going to let that stop her, and soon the group find themselves at the center of a sharehouse reality show focused on finding the Parasite 5 love!

So far, I’ve played through Ryuki’s route, which is generally recommended as one of the routes to start with because it’s pretty self-contained. On your first playthrough, the only characters available are Ryuki, Shelby, and Gill, and after your second playthrough the ability to play Allan and Raul’s routes will be unlocked. After clearing all five of these characters, there’s one more secret character route at the end. While I’ve seen some variation in the suggested route order, it seems like Ryuki, Shelby, and Gill are pretty interchangeable, while Allan should be saved for last due to the story elements in his route.

While I can’t yet comment on the story as a whole, I’m quite enjoying this game as a lighthearted palette cleanser after Olympia Soirée. Though both games are heavily focused on marriage, Cupid Parasite is so goofy it’s hard to take seriously most of the time. In fact, the Parasite 5 are all pretty unlikeable from the beginning, at least for me, so the game’s fun really comes from discovering the charming side of each of the characters.

Ryuki, in particular, is extremely difficult to like at first due to his focus on beauty, to the point that he won’t even speak to people he feels aren’t pretty enough for him to associate with. While his behavior is quite toxic, the whole game plays everything off sillily enough that I didn’t take him very seriously, but at times it still made me rather uncomfortable, and I can see him really turning off some players. Despite this, I still found him growing on me more than I expected over the course of his route!

It’s important to note that as of this post, and the launch of the game, Ryuki and Raul’s routes have unedited English text in them. Idea Factory International has announced it will be patching this, along with any text overflow, in about four weeks. For their full statement, see below.

Important news regarding the launch of Cupid Parasite™.#cupidparasite #otome pic.twitter.com/JMDL7Qmylp

— Idea Factory International (@IdeaFactoryIntl) October 29, 2021

Unfortunately, these textual issues are quite apparent in the latter half of Ryuki’s route, with pronouns being mixed up and many rough lines of text. Since IFI has already announced they are addressing these issues, if you can wait for the patch or want to play through other routes first, such as Shelby and Gill, I would recommend doing that. I’m not saying the game is unplayable by any means, but I did feel the unedited text in Ryuki’s route marred the experience for me.

An example of the rough text and overflow in Ryuki’s route

I’m planning on replaying the latter half Ryuki’s route after the patch is implemented to see how it’s been updated. It’s a shame, but IFI has shown great transparency by sharing exactly what sections of the game are affected and how/when they will be fixing it.

For now, I’m looking forward to playing through the rest of the routes in this extremely fun and silly otome game!

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Pixel x Pixel Episode 74

10 / 27 / 2111 / 12 / 21

It’s time for a very spooky episode of Pixel x Pixel, complete with discussions of horror games, horror movies, and the biggest horror of them all… Marcus getting steamed at Steam! Marcus also continues to be a tech handyman while also writing a Checking the Score article on G-Darius and Collector’s Cabinet article on the Sengoku Rance limited edition. Meanwhile, Anne didn’t create much of anything aside from the Olympia Soirée review she promised last episode, but it’s finally here!

20:00 – Squid Game, Supernatural, Angels of Death, The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2, The House in Fata Morgana
45:00 – Valve Steamdeck verified system, Valve bans NFT games, Abaddon: Princess of Decay launch, Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 and DLC

https://chic-pixel.com/podcast/Pixel_x_Pixel_Episode_074.mp3

♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta

[DOWNLOAD] [ITUNES] [RSS]

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Olympia Soirée Review

10 / 21 / 2110 / 22 / 21

Olympia Soirée is the latest in Aksys Games’ lineup of localized otome games from Japanese publisher Otomate, and it comes with an extremely high pedigree. Featuring art from acclaimed otome game artist Satoi (Diabolik Lovers, Ozmafia!!, Nil Admirari), a team including Nil Admiari‘s director Tanabe Wataru and scenario writer Yuma Katagiri, and an all-star cast of voice actors and a compelling fantasy narrative, it’s no wonder this release came with a lot of fanfare!

In Olympia Soirée, you play as Olympia, a young woman who is the last remaining survivor of her clan, and as a result, is the sole bearer of her clan’s duty to perform a ritual dance to keep the sun shining on the world. On her 18th birthday, she is finally able to enter society as a woman of marriageable age. However, the world is governed by a strict class structure, where people of different color clans are segregated and treated differently based on the color they are born into, with “colorless” people and criminals who break the class rules relegated to the underground world of Yomi.

Read More
Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Pixel x Pixel Episode 73

10 / 15 / 2110 / 15 / 21

Recording hot off the heels of the latest Nintendo Direct, Marcus and Anne have lots of thoughts on all of the big Nintendo news! Plus, there’s a lot of news-worthy stuff going on over at Twitch, Marcus continues to work hard on his arcade machine project, and Anne even has a video game review! (one that was promised didn’t make it in time due to an injured wrist, oops) And of course, it’s the start of horror movie season, with discussions on one classic and one very recent horror film!

16:00 – Chameleon Twist, My Fair Lady, Malignant, Super Mario Bros, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars demo, Yomawari: Night Alone
51:00 – Twitch anti-harassment measures and hack, Aggretsuko season 4, Sora in Smash Bros., enhanced Corpse Party release

https://chic-pixel.com/podcast/Pixel_x_Pixel_Episode_073.mp3

♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta

[DOWNLOAD] [ITUNES] [RSS]

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

My Dear Frankenstein Review

10 / 6 / 2110 / 6 / 21

My Dear Frankenstein is the latest English localization from Moonchime Studios, arriving just in time for spooky season. Developed by Japanese indie team Number7, this point-and-click adventure visual novel features a gothic tale inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and is available for PC and Mac as a digital download for $4.99 USD. If you’re looking for an atmospheric adventure game that deals with some dark themes without scares, this quaint game is the perfect Halloween romp.

Read More
Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Posts navigation

Previous Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 132 133 Next Page

Welcome!


Name: Anne Lee
Birthday: December 13
Fav food: Mochi

Chic Pixel is where I write about my favorite aspects of Japanese pop culture, with a focus on the cute and nerdy! Read More >

Email Chic Pixel Follow Chic Pixel on Twitter Subscribe to Chic Pixel on Youtube Follow Chic Pixel on Instagram Like Chic Pixel on Facebook Follow Chic Pixel on Tumblr

Subscribe to Chic Pixel

Recommended Posts

Chic Pixel's Ultimate Guide to Blogging
How I Edit Instagram Photos and Nerdy Flatlays
Yaoi and Boys' Love (BL) Manga Studies Reading List
How to Make a Japanese iTunes Account
How to Purchase Manga from the Japanese Kindle Store

Affiliates

Support Chic Pixel by shopping at my TeePublic merch store! I've hand-picked the best cute and nerdy designs that you can purchase on a wide range of products such as t-shirts, mugs, hoodies, stickers, and more! All purchases support the independent artist that created the design, as well as Chic Pixel!
MangaGamer

Anne LeeFollow

Anne Lee
Retweet on TwitterAnne Lee Retweeted
_KimimiKimimi@_Kimimi·
26 Jun

It's a Sunday Special!

Click on over here and read a ~deep~ dive into the Shiori-fest that is Tokimeki Memorial Drama Vol. 3: Tabidachi no Uta!
https://kimimithegameeatingshemonster.com/2022/06/26/rewriting-the-romantic-rulebook/

Reply on Twitter 1540969276546453505Retweet on Twitter 154096927654645350525Like on Twitter 154096927654645350558Twitter 1540969276546453505
Retweet on TwitterAnne Lee Retweeted
MH_Rise_JPモンスターハンターライズ:サンブレイク公式@MH_Rise_JP·
24 Jun

<フォロー&本ツイートをRTで応募可能>
【等身大メル・ゼナ襲来 3D映像】放映記念!
3D映像付きの本ツイートをRTした方の中から、メル・ゼナ襲来にちなみ「amiibo メル・ゼナ スペシャルエディション プラチナ」を抽選で5名様にプレゼント!
https://www.monsterhunter.com/ja/20220624/sunbreak_melzena_campaign/
#メルゼナ3D #モンハンライズ

Reply on Twitter 1540141358215704576Retweet on Twitter 154014135821570457636868Like on Twitter 154014135821570457634768Twitter 1540141358215704576
apricotsushiAnne Lee@apricotsushi·
26 Jun

She’s going to be ¥9,400… 😩😩😩

Reply on Twitter 1540901379799015426Retweet on Twitter 15409013797990154261Like on Twitter 15409013797990154269Twitter 1540901379799015426
Retweet on TwitterAnne Lee Retweeted
apricotsushiAnne Lee@apricotsushi·
25 Jun

Here’s my Perfect Gold: The Alchemy of Happiness review for #PrideGameAlong! Such a sweet yuri VN, perfect if you want a quick feel-good game to play before the end of #PrideMonth https://chic-pixel.com/2022/06/perfect-gold-the-alchemy-of-happiness-review/

Reply on Twitter 1540534448671715328Retweet on Twitter 15405344486717153289Like on Twitter 154053444867171532818Twitter 1540534448671715328
apricotsushiAnne Lee@apricotsushi·
25 Jun

Here’s my Perfect Gold: The Alchemy of Happiness review for #PrideGameAlong! Such a sweet yuri VN, perfect if you want a quick feel-good game to play before the end of #PrideMonth https://chic-pixel.com/2022/06/perfect-gold-the-alchemy-of-happiness-review/

Reply on Twitter 1540534448671715328Retweet on Twitter 15405344486717153289Like on Twitter 154053444867171532818Twitter 1540534448671715328
Load More...

apricotsushi

A super cute new desk mat from a friend was the mo A super cute new desk mat from a friend was the motivation I needed to revamp my work space! 💻 I don’t think I’ll ever fully settle in to our current rental (it’s too tiny with both my husband and me working from home now), but at least this corner is cute! 💕💕 
.
.
.
#geekgirl #ladygamer #divoom #divoomditoo #animecore #bulbasaur #kawaiiaesthetic #pixelart #gudetama #nendoroiddoll #hellokitty #kawaiioftheday #kawaiiness #gamergirlsofinstagram #gamergirlsunite #kawaiilife #kawaiilifestyle #desksetup #kawaiidesk #cutelife
How could I not try drawing this adorable shiba ic How could I not try drawing this adorable shiba ice cream sundae for @cremechii’s DTIYS? This is the first time I’m posting just straight-up art on this account… a lil nervous 😅
#dtiyscremechii
It’s Christmas Eve and Pai Pai is in the festive It’s Christmas Eve and Pai Pai is in the festive spirit! 🎄🌟 This is the first year I’ll be cooking some traditional Christmas food for my in laws (they don’t celebrate usually)… wish me luck! If you celebrate, what’s your fav Christmas tradition? 
Swipe for Pai Pai reference photo 📸
Just finished the Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Just finished the Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars demo! Did anyone else play it? The character designs are done by Kimihiko Fujisaka, who also worked on Drakengard, Nier Replicant, and The Last Story! I still need to play The Last Story… 😅 I can’t decide if I’ll pick up Voice of Cards on release but it’s a pretty interesting premise! Worth trying the demo if you like card-style games and D&D sessions 🐉
Lil budew inspired by @michelle_coffee’s amazing Lil budew inspired by @michelle_coffee’s amazing work! He’s dreaming of when he’ll bloom someday 😌🌹 be sure to check out @michelle_coffee’s art - so many stunning pieces, and her store is updating this week! My piece was made with watercolor gouache, posca and a little bit of gold gel pen. def need to stick to the 300gsm paper because this 200 warped too much with the amount of water I was using 😅
.
.
.
#pokemonart #budew #pokemonfan #pokemoncards #nerdyflatlay #pokemonpinball #gameboyadvance #pokemongames #pokemongame #midliners #stationeryaddict #pokemontcg #japanesestationery #traditionalart #geekart #geekartist #kawaiiart #kawaiioftheday
Thanks to @i.sabella96, I’ve been united with my Thanks to @i.sabella96, I’ve been united with my 2022 Hobonichi! I’ve decided to try the Weeks for the first time because I have a fair bit of space left in my Day Free, and I’ve heard great things about the Weeks! Also how could I not get this adorable cover?! I also picked up some Earthbound notebooks in Weeks size and really pretty Kitta washi strips. Do you like to use the Hobonichi or another planner?
Load More... Follow Me on Instagram!

Favorite Blogs

Contemporary Japanese Literature
Hello Sandwich
Tiny Cartridge
The Gay Gamer Otaku Journalist

Categories

Archives

This site contains affiliate links. Any purchases made by clicking on one of my affiliate links earns me a small commission that goes back towards keeping the site running. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Angie Makes Feminine WordPress Themes