Seasons Greetings, Anime, Books, Movies Reviews

Random Thoughts of the Day:

Shut up! Life's never been easy! What you abandon...and what you take...even I know that repeating that choice is what it means to be alive! But still...if that means I have to keep losing everything over and over...I will risk my life to try and take it all!

- Yuuya Bridges, Chief Development Pilot of the XFJ Plan, Pilot of the XFJ-01a Shiranui Second Unit 1, and Protagonist of Muv Luv Alternative Total Eclipse



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ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL DEVIANTS AND FRIENDS: I WISH EVERYONE MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!! PLEASE ENJOY THIS DAY WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND RECEIVE LOTS OF PRESENTS!! If you have created giftart for me, please do inform me!! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE YEARS HERE ON DEVIANTART!!



FEATURED DEVIANTS!!



Commissioned Artwork Pieces: None at the moment.

A female deviant hailing from the country of Brazil, she has me captivated by the pretty colourful and beautiful looking characters in her gallery. From her superbly designed Own Characters to Fanarts of various anime characters, she has it covered and more. Even more breathtaking are the plaettes of colours she has incorporated into her characters, making the details extremely impressive looking and pleasing to see from afar as well as up close. Her artworks range from chibis, bust shots, head shots, to waist and even full body length character designs, which makes her a pretty well-rounded artist. An item worthy of notice is that she pays attention to details, such as the creases in the clothing and the natural postures of her characters, to the distinct locks of hair and the striking eyes of her female characters. The couple pictures are also exceptionally well done, as you can pretty much feel the love between the couple depicted in the picture. She offers artwork commissions from time to time, and I highly recommend her artworks as it is worth the money you pay. If you want your character OCs to be drawn in a beautiful yet a mix of anime-ish and western influences, is the ideal artist for you. Now, if only I commission her on a few of my character OCs...

Please do visit the Deviantart Webpage for more details and more pieces of his spectacular artwork, and be sure to give some constructive comments and much-deserved favs!!

As usual, My personal Favourites from this artist's extensive gallery:









Commissioned Artwork Pieces: None at the moment.

A male deviant from the Country of Japan, take one look at his fantastic gallery and you will find your jaws dropped in awe. A wide range of genres of artwork, ranging from science fiction to fantasy, as well as several character designs that won't look out of place in a video or MMORPG game, his artwork both inspires and brings life to those virtually fantasy worlds. Each tiny detail is drawn, inked, and coloured to show its place in the art piece, and the fantasy characters were brought to life in such amazing ways that it almost looked like characters from mythologies and science fiction mixed into one. His various art pieces really shows his talent and the superb amount of effort he had pooled into the creations of his various character designs and background artwork pieces. I especially love his mecha characters, as well as the fantasy models that reminds me very much of the Final Fantasy Series. I can seriously say one thing, he's definitely a professional artist, judging from the quality and the details on each line, each colour he has drawn and coloured in his many pieces of pretty spectacular and breathtaking artwork.

Please do visit the Deviantart Webpage for more details and more pieces of his spectacular artwork, and be sure to give some constructive comments and much-deserved favs!!

As usual, My personal Favourites from this artist's extensive gallery:







ANIME REVIEWS [[SPOILERS INBOUND, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!]]



LINK START!!

Game Name: SWORD ART ONLINE
Status: Available
Review Score: 8 out of 10



BACKSTORY: (adapted from wikipedia) In the year 2022, the Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG), Sword Art Online (SAO), is released. With the Nerve Gear, a virtual reality helmet that stimulates the user's five senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds.

On November 6, 2022, all the players log in for the first time, and subsequently discover that they are unable to log out. They are then informed by Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of SAO, that if they wish to be free, they must reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if their avatars die in-game, their bodies will also die in the real world. The story follows Kirito, a skilled player who is determined to beat the game. As the game progresses for two years, Kirito eventually befriends a female player named Asuna with whom he eventually falls in love with. After the duo discover the identity of Kayaba's avatar in SAO, they confront and defeat him, freeing themselves and the other players from the game.

Upon returning to the real world, Kirito learns that Asuna and a small group of SAO players has still not awakened yet. Following a clue about Asuna's whereabouts in another VRMMORPG called Alfheim Online (ALO), Kirito also logs in there. Kirito soon learns the trapped players in ALO are part of a plan devised by Nobuyuki Sugō to perform illegal experiments on their minds to put them under his control including Asuna, whom he intends to marry in the real world in order to take over her family's company. Helped by his sister Suguha, Kirito stops Nobuyuki's plans and finally reunites with Asuna in the real world.

Soon after, Kirito plays another game called Gun Gale Online (GGO) to investigate the mysterious connection between it and deaths occurring in the real world. Kirito, assisted by a female player he meets in the game called Sinon, eventually identifies and exposes the culprits who include some former members of a murderous guild he had previously encountered in SAO.

After solving the murders in GGO, Kirito is recruited to assist in the development of a state-of-the-art game, UnderWorld (UW), which has an interface that is far more realistic and complex than the previous games he had played. In UW, the flow of time proceeds thousands of times faster than in the real world. However, Kirito ends up falling into a trap set by one of the murderers from GGO and wakes up inside the game, unable to log out, with his real self left in a comatose state. As Kirito begins to have his memories entangled with his experiences in the game, it becomes more difficult for him to tell reality and fiction apart. Meanwhile, Asuna, Suguha and Sinon also log themselves into UW in an attempt to help him.



STORY AND CHARACTERS: Being a prequel of all sorts to the other Anime named Accel World, which is reviewed in my previous journal, Sword Art Online follows the journey of Kazuto Kirigaya (aka Kirito) in his quest to find his way through the various levels of Aincrad, fight the various monster bosses as well as human villians, in order to complete the game and log out. But along the way, he meets various other people who have grown to live in the game, shares the same purpose as him of clearing the game, solves a mystery or two, as well as meeting the love of his life. Initially this seemed to be an aseop on the dangers of playing MMORPGs and immersing yourself in computer games, which rapidly turned into a journey of a lifetime for a young boy who found himself trapped in the game and must find his way out of it before the system fries his brain. I came into this show with an open mind because I quite liked the characters of the show, but as time went on, I found myself liking only the main hero and heroine (Kirito and Asuna), while wondering where the rest of the characters introduced in Aincrad had gone to as time went on. The villians were depicted as fairly obviously evil, such as Sugou from the Fairy Dance Story Arc, but Heathcliff's purpose of creating this game has me quite a bit puzzled. Aside from the typical hero goes through the game and saves everyone story concept, it is pretty nice to see the various levels within SAO and the monsters which populate the place, as well as the lifestyles of other player characters who come to terms with their imprisonment within the game itself and how they coped with it. It sort of reminds me of those MMORPGs like runescape and guild wars mixed with science fiction technology at times, which I told myself every single time I watched this anime. Much as I don't like the fact that they didn't go through the entire 100 levels of Aincrad, as well as the cousin-protagonist incest in the Fairy Dance Arc, not to mention our gal Asuna spent the later episodes as a distressed damsel in a bird cage while Kirito has to play a white knight - pardon me - BLACK KNIGHT to come and rescue her, all the while getting stuck in fairy politics as well as fending off new harem additions. I particularly enjoyed Kirito's Starburst Stream attacks as well as Asuna's Absolute Sword moves when they are being used in the anime, but I would definitely would like characters like Silica, Lisbeth, Egil, and the rest to have special abilities of their own. Also, the story of Aincrad can be expanded further with more tales of other players who also exist on the various levels, and perhaps give the rest of the cast a day in the limelight. I would particularly enjoy Asuna's tale of how she became one of the best fighters in the Knights of Blood, or perhaps even how Silica met her dragon Pina or even Lizbeth's various adventures around the levels to acquire items for her shop. Those moments could possibly flesh out their characters more, and perhaps their motivations in life and their dreams, instead of just being foil or potential love interests for Kirito. Oh, and I kinda like Klein, who has a goofy personality and acts very big brother-ish to our main hero. His flustered moment in front of Asuna is also hilarious too.





Somehow, I kinda liked this couple and their "adopted" child. They make quite the couple with their personalities as well as how they complement each other as a battle couple in combat, as well as their interesting moments together when Asuna earns Kirito's heart through his stomach, or Kirito trying to protect Asuna during those boss battles moment. And their one month "honeymoon" on Level 22 (with the inclusion of their adopted child Yui) was filled with many "daww" moments. Well, I admit I felt a little sad when Asuna cried as Yui disappeared...but thank goodness Kirito used his L33T skills to hack and get back Yui's heart for Asuna! I especially love the moment in battle where the synchronisation between this couple with their triple sword blades was nothing short of awesome. And you have to admit later in the fairy dance arc, Kirito risking everything he had (and more) to save Asuna from Sugou was pretty heartwarming too, I especially loved the battle scene of Kirito against the Fairy Guardians, fighting with everything he got and wanting to reach Asuna. And when they were finally reunited in the real world and kissed, I can't help but feel warmth in my heart right there and then. I really wished for a cameo of them as adults and perhaps with a few children in the future episodes...but that is just wishful thinking.





ART STYLE AND ANIMATION: This anime is pretty well done in terms of character design and the artwork really shines during the epic scenes. We do see some anime character expressions here and there, but overall the character expressions were pretty good. I especially loved the fighting scenes, which were pretty well depicted and even more better animated. From the Staburst Stream that Kirito used against Gleam Eyes, the fight scene between Heathcliff and Kirito, to the fight scene between Leafa and Kirito in Fairy Dance as well as the Fairy Guardians, these battles were undoubtedly the major highlights of the show. Not only that, the battles between the beasts and our main hero was also well choreographed. When a major well known player aside from our hero and heroine appears in the show, a major fight is confirmed guaranteed, and mostly it ends with someone getting their butts kicked rather badly. I always looked forward to those combat scenes, and I find myself wanting more whenever they have finished one of those battles. The producers and artists have sure put in effort to create this world of virtual proportions, and yet retain the humanity in the characters depicted in the show. There are also a few laugh out loud moments between the major characters of the show, such as the time Kirito being flustered with Asuna during the famous chapter 16.5 scene, or some of the antics when Kirito is travelling with Leafa in Fairy Dance. Those light-hearted moments sometimes add in excellent breather moments from the more serious and life-threatening moments that inevitably takes place later in the show.



MUSIC: The first opening song, crossing fields by LISA, is catchy and pumping to show the action that takes place in the show, and the second opening "INNOCENCE" by Aoi Eir from Episode 15 onwards is also very awesome. The chorus of these two songs, set against the backdrop of Asuna and Kirito fighting against the programmed enemies, is ideal for such pulse-pounding moments. The ending songs, "Dream World" by Haruka Tomatsu and "Overfly" by Luna Haruna were calm and soothing, and it brings across the love between Asuna and Kirito during the Aincrad story arc, as well as the one sided love between Sugu (Kazuto's cousin) and Kazuto during the Fairy Dance arc.



FINAL VERDICT: A fairly enjoyable anime with some likeable characters, and I do love the various medival skills in the show as well as the special attacks. The character costumes are well done, and I look forward to most of the episodes when they have finished. The breathtaking scenery of the virtual worlds is also a note worthy of mention, as they are really well designed and look like something out of a Final Fantasy Game. The battle scenes take the cake though, as it really shows the pulse-pounding, teeth-griting moments in which the players in the game have to fight for their lives against the bosses programmed in the game to earn their freedom. However, when SAO progresses to the Fairy Dance Arc, this gets downgraded to Kirito looking for Asuna. I missed Aincrad, and I hope they can expand on the first story arc more. But I do enjoy parts of Fairy Dance, although they did not show us the various hometowns of the other fairy races, instead going straight for the world tree after visiting a place or two. I would definitely want to know how this Sword Art Online game fits into the Accel World part of the story in their world in the far future, and how Kirito will fight for his freedom again in GGO and the upcoming mysterious world known as the Underworld. I hope the company can produce a season 2, as I really want to see GGO and the Knights of the Swords in the rest of the light novels.



This show has turned me into a Kirito/Asuna Fan, and I love this couple very much!!


A LITTLE FEATURE OF SOME OF THE SWORD ART ONLINE STUFF I FOUND ON DEVIANTART:

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AND SOME HILARIOUS SAO COMICS:







LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE, LOG OUT!!





TACTICAL SURFACE FIGHTER SYSTEMS INITIALIZING

Game Name: MUV LUV ALTERNATIVE TOTAL ECLIPSE
Status: Available
Review Score: 8 out of 10



BACKSTORY: (adapted from wikipedia) Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse (マブラヴ オルタネイティヴ トータル・イクリプス Maburavu orutaneitivu tōtaru ikuripusu?) is an anime adaptation of the light novel series of the same name, based on the Muv-Luv visual novel franchise.

The anime is produced by ixtl and Satelight and directed by Takayuki Inagaki and Masaomi Ando, series composition by Takayuki Inagaki, music by Seikou Nagaoka, character design by Yumiko Hara and art and sound direction by Kei Ichikura and Jin Aketagawa respectively. The 26 episode anime series began airing on July 2, 2012 on TV Osaka, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting, TV Hokkaido, AT-X, TV Setouchi, TV Aichi and Nico Nico Douga in Japan.

Set in an alternative timeline, Earth is invaded by an alien species known as BETA. Overwhelmed by the BETA's superior numbers, mankind develops a jet/mecha hybrid called Tactical Surface Fighters or TSF to counter them. The series follows the members of the UN Project PROMINENCE, a corp of international pilots testing and improving TSF to help Earth's war against the BETA.





STORY AND CHARACTERS: Based on a certain eroge dating simulation game of all sorts, the Muv Luv universe is a place where a typical high school student gets stuck in an alternate time loop in which he has to fight for humanity's survival against the Aliens which, as you guessed, wants to destroy humanity. Set in the "alternative" universe of the Muv Luv Series, this story follows the life of 2nd Lieutenant Yuuya Bridges of the US Army, a half Japanese/American Test Pilot who tests and improves upon the Tactical Surface Fighters which were humanity's last hope against the Alien Hordes from outer space known as the BETA (aka The Beings of the Extra Terrestrial origin which is Adversary of human race) who wants to devour humanity. (again) Along the way after being assigned there, he looks for his purpose throughout the episodes while earning himself a battle harem of multi-national gals after fighting them in various mecha battles between the various test fight groups stationed there. Enter the heroine of the first two episodes, 1st Lieutenant Yui Takamura of the Imperial Royal Guards, head of the Japanese side of the XFJ program, who initially reacts with hostility towards Yuuya until he managed to understand her after many events later, which resulted in a rather Tsundere relationship between them both. Rivals in the love department were common, such as 2nd Lieutenants Cryska Barchenowa and Inia Sestina of the Soviet Army, as well as 1st Lieutenant Cui Yifei of the Chinese Army. So a battle for Yuuya's heart begins when the pilots of various nationalities come together from different backgrounds, their respective pasts and meeting at Yukon, along with the other participants in Project PROMINENCE, will have important consequences for the Project, and indeed Yukon itself. What happens next is a mix of awesome mecha vs mecha action, mecha vs BETA fight scenes, with a healthy dose of fanservice (don't get me started on that) and humourous moments between the major characters of the show until everything went downhill in the midst of conspiracies and assassinations, as well as tensions between the nations who were fighting the war against the BETA and the nations who have lost their countries to the BETA. The story wove deep with its social-political problems, against the backdrop of a war against aliens as well as the characters coping with their personal problems and some serious skeletons in their closets.







The characters weren't very mary-sue or gary-sue, but they aren't likeable at times due to their somewhat childish antics or predictable behaviour at times. We have the typical Tsundere of the group, Yui Hime (middle gal) having a certain love/hate relationship with our Hero of the story Yuuya (third from left) until she found out that she has fallen for him several episodes later. We have Tarisa Manandal (extreme right), the smallest gal of the group who suffers from a bad case of A cup angst when she saw the rest of the gals in the show being better well endowed than her, and is freaking hot blooded to boot when piloting a TSF. Valerio Giacosa (second from left) is a nice character, but being a handsome lech in the show means he often gets trashed by the ladies and always tries to ship Yuuya and Yui Hime together, but seeing him in action in a TSF is totally different story. Stella Bremer (second from right), (holy shit did you see the jugs on her?!)  is a rather nice character as she acts as a friend to Yuuya and provides tips on how to get to know Yuuya's heart better to Yui Hime. Also, acting as foil and the growing crowd of shippers is Vincent Lowell (extreme left), a best friend of Yuuya who tries to cheer him up when the chips are down, and tries to bring out the best in him through conversation and jokes, although the former doesn't laugh at any of his jokes.



Hoo boy, the Scarlet Twins. These super-soldierish twins were supposedly the trump card of the Russians in the show in the war against the BETA, eventually becomes part of Yuuya's battle harem and one of them even fell deeply in love with him. This resulted in more than just a love triangle later in the story, and the commanders of the Scarlet Twins have very devious plans in store for Yuuya when they found out about the connection he had with the twins. I have to admit, the lovey-dovey stuff aside, these pair of gals are freaking scary on the field of battle, as their skills for killing both TSFs and BETA were unparalled and unmatched. Too bad they were nearly mind-controlled near the ending and nearly killed Yuuya, which was quite a teary scene if not for Yuuya surviving their supposed rampage. But I do like the times they take on to the battlefield as those were the scenes they really shine, aside from the jealousy Cryska (the gal on the right) felt when she saw Yuuya in company with the other gals like Yui Hime and Cui Yifei.



The High Command Personnel in Argos Test Flight is comprised of Ibrahim Dogulu, and his trio of Bridge Bunnies Lida Canales, Phoebe Theodorakis, & Niram Rawamunando, who acts as voice commands back at base when the fighting gets tough in the frontlines. They rarely get much screentime unless the camera is focused on High Command, and even if they do, it's only a few lines that barely adds to the story at all. The ones that receive the worst character development would have to be the various world leaders of the other countries in the show, as their laughably bad decisions caused the loss of valuable personnel, important resources, as well as a weapon that can potentially turn the tide of the war against the aliens. Not only that, they can't even make decisions that can save the human race by thinking straight and coming up with better plans than fighting the BETA on Earth in a war of attrition. Faced with a species of aliens that consume everything in their path, wouldn't leaving the panet be a better way? But no, we have humans throwing themselves in the thousands to fight the potentially massive amount of aliens landing on Earth, and hence fought a losing war because of it. If they were half as smart as the Allegiance Human Rebel Group (a potential future dangerous antagonist faction) which nearly scceeded in their plan to take over the Yukon base using terrorists as scrapgoats, the war would have taken an interesting turn since the start. And the leader of the Allegiance is an interesting character indeed due to his wonderfully complex plans and other contingencies, and I wonder what other plans he had in store for our heroes and heroines in the Muv Luv Series, since his next plan was revealed when he was last seen throwing a knife to a map of Japan. And around the Kantou area which compromises Yokohama Base...which can't possibly be good.





ART STYLE AND ANIMATION: If there is one thing noticeable in the show, it would have to be the gorgeous CGI designs of the various countries' Tactical Surface Fighters (TSFs) when they were in various combat situations against the BETA, or when they were pitted against each other in test fights. The various awesome aerial manoeuvres when in battle, and the wide range of weapons they wield (including the Type 99 railgun autocannon), and the different variants of each model of TSF adds to the personal taste of the pilots. We have ace custom designs for the major characters, who attested to their ace piloting skills, and certain configurations and loadouts for fighting different types of enemies. Whenever a team of TSFs deploy to kill BETA, it is always a scene of awesome to behold. The characters are pretty well done except for some scenes in which the character faces look weird when looked from afar. But the ones that stand out are the female characters' looks of jealousy when they were trying to fight for Yuuya's affections in the show. However, we do have some awkward scenes when the character faces aren't that well drawn when viewed from afar, as well as differences in quality between the things in the background and things in the foreground. The animation is pretty fluid especially for the mecha scenes, in which we can see how smoothly the TSFs move in combat against both BETA and during the TSFs versus TSFs scenes. The sounds of battle and warfare are very well done, from each tank shell fired to the usage of small arms fire, or even those cannons used by the TSFs in some action moments. That main problem facing the fans would be the weird camera angles at times, as well as the large doses of fanservice throughout the show.





One thing of note: The pilot suits are so tight fitting, and I WONDER WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THE CREATORS THINKING?! I really feel sorry for the male pilots though, as the female pilot suits really show a lot of skin due to the fact the material used to make them were practically transparent at times, and were extremely distracting in the chest and lower areas. (all due to the amount of fanservice they put in the show)



MUSIC: The first opening theme is "Go to the top" by Koda Kumi, and the second the opening theme is "Doubt the World" by Minami Kuribayashi, has catchy tunes and awesome fight scenes in the opening sequence, as well as revealing some of the major antagonists that will appear later in the show. The pumped up lyrics and the character moments in the opening really establishes their character personalities. The two ending themes, "signs—Saku Tsuki Hitoyo" (signs ～朔月一夜～?) by Minami Kuribayashi; and from episode 20 onwards, and the ending theme is "Revise the World" by ayami tells of the relationships between the major heroes and heroines of the show, as well as what they must sacrifice to fight to rid the BETA off the surface of the Earth. Music for the anime is produced by Avex Entertainment; and the insert music during the major battle scenes include "NO PLACE LIKE A STAGE" by GRANRODEO (during the fight between Yuuya and Cui Yifei) , "True 4 Eyes" by Minami Kuribayashi and "Apocalypse of Destiny" by ayami (during the fight between Yuuya and Yui Hime); the special ending theme for episode 17 is "Sunōmewiden" (スノウメヰデン?) by Misato Aki. (Cryska's recollection moment song) I loved them as they really get the blood pumping for the awesome fight scenes that were coming right up after the TSFs launch from their hangar bays, and the ending songs were both soothing and soul-searching at times, when you read the lyrics of the songs and then think back to the hardships the characters have faced in the show.



FINAL VERDICT: If you are looking for an anime that blends science fiction with mechanics, then this anime is for you. Not only it introduces a brand new world of the Muv Luv Universe to you, the viewer is taken to a world in which humanity fights for its very survival against not only aliens but also an even worse enemy: Humanity itself. It shows the both the best sides (and the worst) sides of humanity, and it also introduces brand new characters that the viewers can relate to. The technical aspects of the show is also very well done, from how the TSFs soar through the air in combat (takeoff or landing), or perform complex manoeuvres during the war sequences. I also love the moments they explain to us about how their strategies work as well as the technical jargon on the various weaponry utilised in the show. Not only that, it gives names and the capabilities to the otherwise nameless TSFs in the original trilogy of games, as well as the blueprints design and their strengths and weaknesses. Even though Total Eclipse is a side story to the major Muv Luv universe, it shines through the character relationships and the complex politics that happen behind the scenes when the pilots were fighting the war against the BETA. Granted, it has its fair share of problems, such as the copious amounts of fanservice and some quality moments, but its awesome action scenes and funny moments has made it a joy for me to watch a new episode every week. I would definitely love a anime of the original trilogy, and I hope they would make it because it would be very awesome. I really, really want for my favourite trio (Takeru, Meiya and Sumika) to appear in anime form like how Total Eclipse is, as that will definitely make me a very, very happy fanboy. I can't wait for a season 2 of this show, if possible too!!





OMG I WANT THESE TACTICAL SURFACE FIGHTERS AS TOY MODELS ON MY DESK SO GODDAMN MUCH!!


A LITTLE FEATURE OF SOME OF MUV LUV ALTERNATIVE TOTAL ECLIPSE STUFF I FOUND ON DEVIANTART:





and the AMAZING ARSENAL OF MUV LUV MECHS!!





TACTICAL SURFACE FIGHTER XFJ-01a Shiranui Second Unit 1 LAUNCHING!!


MORE TO COME...STAY TUNED!!...