Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

It's another wonderful day in cat heaven with this newest edition to the Neko Para franchise, and boy oh boy was I happy to see it finally.

Now if you haven't already I'd highly recommend you read Vol. 1 first then Vol. 0 as it opens up a bit more back story to each of the other characters and then come back for Vol. 2 I feel without this I wouldn't have enjoyed the story as much as I did. 


First off I've been a rather big fan of this series, due to the easy to get into story and honestly rather surprising characters and see how they grow throughout the story. (Neko Para Vol. 0 Review) 

Vol. 2 doesn't disappoint, picking up roughly at the end of Vol. 1 which I wont spoil for none readers of the visual novel. Unlike the first volume which was heavily centred around Chocola and Vanilla (best girl). Vol. 2 happened to give us the chance, through a rather obvious plot device (read Vol. 1) to read a story around Azuki (Could very well be new best girl) and Coconuts. 
Azuki whom I didn't expect to fall for as much as I did, which is weird with my love for tsunderes and all. She is the oldest of all the cat girls sisters and as such hides behind a façade of toughness which was really nice to slowly see chipped away throughout this read. 
Coconuts on the other hand is the youngest sister (excluding Choc & Vanilla) whom is always trying her best even though she has a trait for being extremely clumsy.
Despite their bound of sister-ship they always end up bickering and fighting which was a really nice comedic touch to say really helped keep me interested in reading however and with any good story something happens between them which was really nicely handled the pacing of the story in tone with previous version and overall helped finish the story up nicely. As such leaving me very satisfied and wanting more of the cute interactions in the future.
As for my read time it took me just under 4 hours (3.7 hours on steam) which for £6.92 plus a $9.99 patch is expectable in my eyes due to the enjoyment I got out of it.

Overall I'd say this is a great little read if you enjoyed the previous volumes. If you're looking for a light hearted read then Id recommend it for the comedic aspects and character interactions alone. As for my ratings I gave:

Nekopara Vol. 1 - 6 / 10

As for Nekopara Vol. 2 I gave it:

8 / 10

VNDB

This was heavily due to the build up previous volumes and knowing what I was going to get out of this volumes. As such I set a certain expectation on what I'd get out of this read which I had blown out the water with the interesting dynamic of  Coconuts and Azuki's relationship and the troubles they faced. I wasn't expecting this and even teared up in a few sections of this read. This was also coupled with some amazing voice acting which honestly really did solidify that whole section of writing.
As for the H-Scenes since I had been conditioned to know they were coming I thought they would feel out of place still however the way the story progressed I felt that had much more impact and reason to be where they were and how they go there, then in Vol. 1 which was very much a solution to a problem so to say.

Ending note:
If you enjoyed the first volumes you'll probably enjoy this one as well, its pretty much more of the same but in my opinion with an extra little something in the ways of story.

Near the end there is a nice little comment by one of the supporting cast (cat sister) Cinnamon about it being their turn next, as such I put this little image together of the main focuses in each volume so far and how I see it playing out in the future. 


Hope you guys are all doing well and enjoyed the review and the game. Let me know what you thought of this novel down below.



Full Trailer - 「バクマン。」予告 


Bakuman is one of the first manga series I completed after falling into this wonderful world and to heard it was getting the live action treatment I was a little hesitant due to not enjoying the anime adaptation and utterly loving the manga. However after watching the trailer above I can now say I'm actually really interested to see the complete product. 

 Hitoshi Ōne is directing and with the casting of Takeru Satoh starring as Moritaka Mashiro and Ryunosuke Kamiki as Akito Takagi. I'm really interested to see what direction this adoption takes. From the trailer alone it seems to work with the same key characters and points of the original plot, from the illness hospital scene to the 'clash of rivals' which was done in a very interesting way of battle of pens. Where the cast actually seem to fight each other with oversized pens which I cannot wait to see the whole scene of. The whole trailer gave of a very strong feeling of respect to the original work while giving off a very eye catching world for them to develop freely into. 
I really cannot wait to see how this adoption turns out now with a few weeks to wait till its release I'll be waiting with a very open mind for this one.

 Set for release October 3, 2015 distributed by Toho.
Japanese band Sakanaction performed the soundtrack for the film, including the theme song "Shin Takarajima" (新宝島?, "New Treasure Island"), which they will release as a single four days before the film's release.

 Source: Live-action film "Bakuman." official website

Neko Para Vol. 0 [Minazuki Nekotachi no Nichijou!] - ネコぱら Vol.0 水無月ネコたちの日常！
is a prequel to the visual novel also by Neko Works and published by Sekai Project on steam - Neko Para Vol. 1.

What's NEKOPARA? Why, it's a cat paradise! 

This is a story just before Kashou (Master) opened "La Soleil". 

The eldest daughter of the Minaduki household and their 6 catgirls go to wake up their master; prepare breakfast; clean up the house; go out on a walk; make dinner; take a bath; sleep together; et cetera, et cetera. 

Enjoy a page from the leisurely, daily lives of Shigure and the Minaduki household's catgirls! 
- from steam page


Being a pretty decent fan of Neko Para vol. 1 for what it was worth, I gave it a 6/10 over at VNDB, I felt this prequel / fan disc showcasing some small slice of life and nit bits of the lives of our wonderful cat girls was perfectly timed. Having read Vol.1 on the day of release and not revisiting since then I was ready to dive back into this world of wonderful cat-girls with the awesome new touch feature and good old screen bounce effects.

Even though I enjoyed the main story of vol. 1 the plot was nothing special story wise other then the nicely paced character development between our 2 main cats 'Chocola' and 'Vanilla' and their 'master' Kashou. - Vanilla being best girl obviously. As of this I gave it the score I did, but moving onto Vol. 0.
Since I've spent my time else were reading more heavy subjects as of late I really wasn't expecting much from this second game. However I was pleasantly surprised by how much I had missed these lovely cat girls and their someone generic but all the same funny jokes. From the comical 'cat fights' (poor pun I know) between Maple and Azuki to the sexual commentary coming from Cinnamon ever chance she got. Be if this visual novel had longer then a 1-2 hour read time, these elements would have become very repetitive and boring fast. Luckily for the short amount of time it took me to complete (45 minutes) these elements remained fresh and it was a nice change of pace along with something I really enjoyed.

As for the read time to price comparison. Neko Para Vol. 0 as of release today (17/08/2015) is priced at:

£1.99   (GBP)
$2.99   (USD)
2.99 €  (EUR)

With a read time of less then 2 hours according to VNDB. Id say it is worth it completely if you've read Vol. 1 and want more of the same sort of deal. If you haven't read Neko Para Vol. 1 Now is also a great time to pick it up from steam as its got a 50% deal going on.
Just be warned the steam version is an all age copy so if you're looking for the full uncut game you'll have to find the work around yourself (pretty easily) or buy from another disruptor which is what I initially did before picking up a steam copy at a later date for those achievements and cute cards.

With that said Neko Para Vol. 0 is an all age game with no 18+ content (other then a short bath scene with the all to annoying return of steam clouds). The main after feel I got was this short story is very much adding onto the world we already know and love. It was nice to see a little more of the home life and some of the other cats which aren't shown to much in the first game and because of this I have to give the game some praise. Mainly due to the fact I didn't expect myself to have missed these characters so much from my first introduction to the world. Not to mention the music like many other visual novels is very catchy and not all that distracting making the whole read a very pleasurable thing.


So to round up I'd recommend Neko Para Vol. 0 if you've read the first installation and are looking for a quick read with the same lovely characters (and without the erotic content).

As for my personal rating I gave Vol. 0 a 5/10.

Even though this looks like a low score I'd consider this VN to not better than the first mainly due to the length and lack of engaging 'plot' but a nice addition to the franchise and would love to see more. We don't really get anything new other then a nice look back at their lives at home which I feel could have easily been in the original game or even added on in a flash back sort of style to a future game. I enjoyed my time with this short read and look forward to any further works that may or may not come of it and remember Vanilla best cat girl.


Steam Store Page : NEKOPARA Vol. 0

Sekai Project Twitter
NekoPara Twitter


amazarashi 『スピードと摩擦』“Speed and Friction” ｜「乱歩奇譚 Game of Laplace」OP曲


What I find utterly amazing about amazarashi isn't just their unique music style which really helps bring a piece to work but also how they're able to translate that sound into amazing music videos. 

'Speed and Friction' is the 2nd single to be release by amazarashi on the 19th August 2015.

[Music Video Staff]
Creative Director: Keiichi Motoyama (SIX)
Film Director:Yoshihiro Mori (AOI Pro.)
Chief Planner: Yuta Okuyama (Hakuhodo)
Installation Planner:Yu Kato (Hakuhodo)
Technical Director:Tatsuya Saito (Abacus)
Choreographer:Mikiko Kawamura
Dancer: Kaho Tsukioka

The first of which being 'Seasons Die One After Another' | 季節は次々死んでいく which was the ending song for Tokyo Ghoul √A | トーキョーグール√A” ＥＤ 


This was my first introduction to amazarashi and it left a strong ever lasting impression of their work. The way the music links so well with the source material but not only that, the visuals of the MV also takes aspects of the work and bring them to live. This is what makes both of these videos so amazing to me. Obviously I utterly love the music and have bought their tracks myself.

From a film stand point the strong contrast of sharp camera angles and use of textual input (Kanji being lit on the walls and carved out of meat) really helps bring the video to the for front and suck the viewer in. Looking at the sets they don't use a large budget, unless the meat in 'Seasons die one after another' cost the bomb. Good old Rize enjoying herself.
Without such a large budget and focusing on main aspect of showing respect to the original work, really works well and adds a whole new layer of depth to these videos. For me its really nice to see them working with such highly anticipated shows. Even if the shows do disappoint their really well polished video and song which will forever be stuck in my head.


Once again like their first single the video centres around a single female subject. In 'Speed and Friction' this is none other than Kaho Ysukioka and all I can say from this video is damn she can dance. For this song in particular with its heavy up and downs in tempo and strong vocal changes the form of contemporary dance she is able to produces is utterly breathe taking. From this I;d love to see more partnerships been K. Ysukioka and Mikiko Kawamura (MVs Choreographer).
The dance itself gave me the impressions of an internal struggle between oneself and her inner demons as it may be. The school girls dance seems to be a lot more refined which moments of highs and lows. Where as the 'Demon' or dark dance seems to be a lot more intense and highly explosive as if everything that has been held back is finally being brought for in a final unstoppable force. With the two dances reaching their climax in a cross over state and then back to reality. After looking up the shows description over at MAL is a mystery really does fit the feeling I got from the video.


I really enjoyed both of these videos for their music as well as their own visual aspects. If you're looking for something new to listen to and have 5 minutes I'd highly recommend you go and check out their YouTube and other socials all linked blow.


Be sure to check out their website and other socials:


Facebook

For now thank you for reading and let me know what you thought of the videos in the comments below.



My first anime review, I was going to do it on Nisekoi but that script is taking longer to write as I've alot to say since I've read the manga for the anime. but back to the video above.

One Week Friends- Premise.
Kaori Fujimiya is a quiet, reclusive girl with no friends until one day a fellow classroom tries to befriend her. Yuuki Hase her fellow classmate wants nothing more than to be friends with Kaori but Kaori has a secret which effects her memory. Every Monday Kaori loses all her happy memories, including time spend with her friends and so their story begins!

What i love most about this show is the character based relationships! I really do. Most slice of life shows with forms of romance and comedy tend to shy away from the hard hitting subjects, but One Week Friends deals with them in their own way. Showing the characters develop and move on through the memory loss problems and see how they work towards a friendship around it and that is what this show does very well focusing on the friendship rather than the romance.

In terms of production, One Week Friends is really easy on the eyes with its washed out finish on the visuals. Brains base had 3 shows running this season and didn't let up with the stylised choices for this one at all. On top of this it has one of the best soundtracks for a show this season. Its is perfect for setting the right mood for those heart-melting moments [There are ALOT of them by the way.] I really did love this show and was pleasantly surprised by how much I was looking forwarded to it on a weekly basis and the amount of emotion it made me feel i did not expect at all. It had a way of making me feel so up and down throughout the entire series.

Overall I'd say if you're looking for a Slice of life with an undertone of romance and a hard hitting topic this is the show for you. Just be warned the pacing could feel a little slow is marathon this but from my view watching it weekly it moved the story along at a perfect pace and always left me wanting to know more.

Pros:
+ Very loveable characters
+ Story tries to stay away from anything too melodramatic
+ Gorgeous art & sound throughout
++ Great ending!!

Cons:
- Addison of new character near the end [Should have been done earlier]
- Kaori's mother didn't have her spotlight and felt left unfulfilled

Final score 7/10

Mal- http://myanimelist.net/anime/21327/Isshuukan_Friends