The Legend of Legacy

I actually wanted to end the year with a anime review, but since my procrastination skillz have prevented me from finishing Kill la Kill, I guess I'll have to make do with a game review instead ;) Ah, tis life in a nutshell. Wow, it looks like realizing that I'm literally one day away from the new year has made me kind of philosophical. But enough of my wacky musings, and onto the real meat of this post!

I'm always excited about playing Atlus games, especially those that sell themselves on having exploration and adventure. One reason is that I might have been spoiled by Legends of the Titan (Another game with 'legend' in it's name. Coincidence?) and the Persona series. 2015 was a great year for 3DS games in my humble opinion, and though I did not pick up the latest installments of the Etrian Odyssey franchise such as the Untold: The Fafnir Knight or Etrian mystery dungeon, I did however, do myself a favor and picked up The Legend of Legacy instead!

Keep in mind that I have not finished the game since I'm stuck at the final boss (>:|) but after 40 hours or so of dungeon crawling, getting mobbed by various monsters and the like, I think I can safely give my opinion on the game while simultaneously avoiding any sort of spoilers.

I went with Eloise for my first and only playthrough, and I'm glad to say that I quite liked her. I don't know what made me choose her out of the colourful cast of characters, but I normally never chose any sort of 'Mage' type characters in game, so I probably chose her based on her gorgeous character design. I was torn between her and Bianca (the amnesiac) but eventually I jumped the wagon and went with Eloise.

She's a pretty entertaining character, her speeches are sometimes peppered with heart or star emoji's, which I personally find quite hilarious since this contrasts with her true personality. From another review I read of this game, the person admits that Eloise resembles an anti-hero more than your typical goody-two shoes, sacrifice everything hero that you normally take control of. Her motivations are quite selfish, and to see her internal monologue and sarcastic quips is a real treat! We need more characters like this.

I started out with Owen and Lars, but eventually I switched them out for Filma (the frog) and Garnet (the stern looking warrior beside the frog). Your party conists of three characters, including yourself, and is pretty flexible in terms of choosing who want to party up with since you can switch them out at the nearest inn. As with typical Atlus RPG's the gameplay is unforgiving and tough when you first start out. Forgetfulness or overconfidence will prove to be your undoing when you accidentally bump into a pack of monsters or heaven forbid, one of the mini bosses that are littered throughout some maps.

There is not much to say story wise, seeing as most of the information you glean comes from a smattering of flashbacks and finding artifacts to unlocking the mystery of the island. In fact, the real meat of the game is in the details, namely, the gameplay. It can be trying at times, but ultimately The Legend of Legacy proves to be a solid RPG in terms of game play. Anyone who wants to be invested in a good story however, will find this game to be quite disappointing.

Art/Animation is really nice. The backgrounds are beautiful, and the maps you visit all have their own unique atmospheres and obstacles to overcome. The sprites in the game (meaning your characters and enemy monsters) are great as well, but the only thing I found lacking was the lack of variation in the monster sprites. Even though the monsters you fight in each place are different, the sprites that you see or come across when you're not fighting are pretty much the same. It's unfortunate but it doesn't take anything away from the experience so I guess that can be overlooked.

Game play is great. Each character can unlock different skills depending on what weapon they're equipped with/ what you chose to equip them with, and this means that the characters are highly customisable and allow you to mold your team into the most efficient, dungeon explorers you'll ever need. You can speed up battle animations by holding down the 'A' button (something I only discovered 20 hours into the game) and it's hard to go back to slug through battles while waiting for your enemies turn to end.

And with more skills comes the annoying part, to select the skill you want, you need to go through all the other options and this can become tiring, especially when you're engaged in a ridiculously long battle with a boss. It does get boring, and I wished that they had added some sort of shortcut button to save me the effort of clicking the arrow button hundreds of times every time I wanted to select a different skill. But nevertheless, it's something that you'll learn to live with. The minor framerate problems that occur during battles with many enemies at once also show that this game is not perfect.

Music is another superbly done aspect of the game as well! They were a feast for the ears, and two of my favourites include  the battle with the Shadow giants and the last boss. On the flipside, the music you hear can make you scared as well like it did me, I can't tell you how panicked I would be when I accidentally ran into a monster and the battle song started playing. I would compare the soundtracks to each map like a calling card of sorts - easily recognisable and very unique.

Overall, I didn't regret putting in all the hours I did. The Legend of Legacy was pretty good, and I would recommend it to people who like dungeon crawlers and character driven games.

Pros

+Great gameplay
+Characters are very customisable/Character classes are not limited to the skills they start out with
+Beautiful art/animation
+Brilliant music
+Challenging
+Varying enemies both difficulty wise and appearance wise

Cons
-Minor frame rate issues
-Quite grindy
-Attack menus could have been done better
-Fights get boring quickly

Overall score: 7/10 

Parasyte

Parasyte has got to be one of the most surprising shows I've watched this year.

The anime follows the life of Izumi Shinichi, whose right hand had been forcefully taken over by a parasite aptly named 'Migi'. Shinichi struggles to coexist with the new creature that has replaced his hand, Migi's cold and apathetic personality constantly clashing with his own caring and kind-hearted one.

But trying to keep this new secret from getting out may be more difficult than expected when Shinichi finds out that Migi is not alone and that his own kind, dubbed 'Parasites' are  all over Japan.

Story-wise, I am pleased to say that Parasyte was pretty interesting and kept me guessing. As our main character Shinichi tries to hide his new 'friend' from the people around him, other parasites which have successfully taken over the host (by reaching the brain) also pose a threat to him, since Migi is deemed as a failure of sorts by his own kind.

The pair face many obstacles, and in between Migi's search for truth about his existence and Shinichi's ongoing struggle to survive what comes his way, they meet many dangerous characters ranging from a intelligent parasite and a notorious serial killer.

I like that Parasyte kept me in suspense most of the time, the foreshadowing was done fairly well and there are many emotional moments and amazing action sequences that'll leave your jaw hanging. Seeing as the parasites can take the form of anyone or anything, fights never get boring and the creative use of their shapeshifting abilities was a spectacle to behold.

This is not to say that the anime is without any downsides though, but it isn't anything so remotely bad that it would turn you off before you even started. Parasyte started out slow, but in my opinion it did it's job of creating tension and had good payoffs in the end. While the tone of the show did get draggy and slower toward the end, it didn't take away any enjoyment I'd experienced in the previous episodes!

The characters in parasyte are no pushovers. I like how Migi and Shinichi's personalities  balance each other out. After the first few episodes, I began to realize that Shinichi's reckless and self-sacrificing behaviour is more or less kept in check by the cold and rational Migi. I can't count how many times Shinichi might have gotten himself or someone else killed without the parasite's intervention. But that's not to say that Migi is without his flaws too!

Also, you could also say that Migi is the physical manifestation of Shinichi's consciousness. You know, that nagging voice in the back of your mind, the one that warns you before you pull some stupid shit.

Parasyte is quite dark too. Not like 'Madoka magica' dark, but something comparable to that of 'Psycho pass'. As the anime goes on, I came to see that many of its characters, both antagonists and protagonists, are not bound to the norms of 'morality'. Despite his protests, Shinichi himself operates in a morally grey area, and even the police have questionable ways of trying to rid Japan of parasites.

Parasyte shines because of it's brilliant characters, and most, if not all, are fleshed out during the course of the anime. There are some cliched stereotypes here and there, but that is to be expected. The main thing, is that the characters are not confined to roles of the 'bad guys' or 'good guys'.

Let me just say that Tamura Reiko is my favourite character in Parasyte. She's one of the characters who can keep Shinichi on edge, and the reactions she can get out of him is always a treat. Her social faux passes gave me good laughs time and time again simply because it's so amusing to see a 'superior' species struggle with mundane stuff and saying things weird things out of the blue. There were a few moments in which Tamura Reiko stole the show, and I absolutely adore her for it!

Animation is done by Madhouse and while it's not as gory as some have claimed it is, there is several disturbing moments that made my stomach turn. But fortunately, nothing so utterly horrible that it would scar you for life. I give the anime props in how they designed the parasites; indeed there are generic looking ones but for the most part they vary in looks, and it did creep me out at some points.

Overall: Parasyte was a pleasant surprise. The ending was kinda meh in my opinion but to its credit, it did tie up most of the loose ends and was fairly satisfying.

 Must watch : 4/5

Your Lie in April

I think I put off this anime for far too long because I was afraid of its ending. I'm sure you know the types I'm referring to; the endings that make your eyes puffy and your noses' stuffed. The type that makes you curl up at night and replaying the scene over and over and hearing your heart break into pieces. But even so, I implore you to watch Your Lie in April.

The story revolves around Arima Kousei, a washed up ex prodigy who used to play the piano. He had been the stuff of legends, but when his mother passed away, everything came crashing down. On the day of his most important piano recital, Kousei suffers a mental breakdown and becomes unable to hear the sound of his piano.  And now, he's stuck in a monotone- colourless world, and unable to move forward. Everything changes when he's roped into accompanying his best friend on a blind date as a 'wingman' of sorts, and there he meets...her. Miyazono Kaori.

The story begins from there, and it's a beautiful yet tragic ride and shows that it is possible for an anime to be funny, yet heartbreaking. Cheerful yet sad. I can draw these parallels all day.

Story : 7/10

For the most part, the story has good pacing, and follows kousei on his journey back into the musical world. The anime sells itself on the romance between him and Kaori, but I feel that is much deeper than that. At it's core, Your Lie in April is a story of self-discovery, and reminds us that we are only human. That it's okay to fall and skin your knees, because what matters in the end is that you pick yourself up and keep going. Kousei's journey was much better than I thought it would be, and watching his journey was like watching a close friend of yours trying to pick themselves up from that dark, dank hole they've fallen in.

Your Lie In April deals with the topic of death, and our darker sides fairly well. It doesn't preach and picks apart the topic tastefully. The only bad things I can nitpick about the plot would be the large amount of foreshadowing. There are many, many scenes where the foreshadowing becomes a little too obvious, and it feels like the creators aren't giving us enough credit to figure it out. Toward the middle of the anime, the plot becomes slightly more predictable, and because of all the foreshadowing, you already know how it will end. Fortunately, none of these takes the excitement out of watching it, and it was still very enjoyable.

Characters : 8/10

The character development for Kousei is phenomenal. He grows from a meek, mild mannered boy to a confident and matured individual. His growth is handled beautifully, and by the time the anime was over, I found myself wishing the best of luck to him. He tries to give up numerous times, but the people around him won't allow it, especially Kaori. And it occurred to me that she's like that friend who constantly pushes you to challenge yourself, to excel, and shows us that sometimes, what we really need is not a a comforting hug, but a great big shove.

As for Kaori, I didn't find her character development as great as Kousei's. But this has more to do with how the anime presents her, an 'mysterious' and 'enigmatic' figure that Kousei can't figure out no matter how hard he tries. And since Your Lie in April plays out from his perspective, we only get to see certain sides of Miyazono Kaori.

There's no supporting character worth mentioning more than Tsubaki. She gets a fair amount of development as well, which is great!. Tsubaki had me rooting for her for almost the entire length of the show, and for good reason. Unlike most of the 'childhood' stereotypes in rom coms of today, she actually takes a stand. Yeah you heard me, she takes a freaking stand. She acknowledges that Kousei is head over heels for Kaori, but she doesn't give up. The best part about it, is that she wasn't horrible about it. Tsubaki didn't try play saboteur to the budding romance between them, and deals with her own set of confusing feelings. There were a few heartbreaking scenes of Tsubaki just trying to deal with the lowest point in her short, teenage life, and it was fan-fucking-tastic.

Music : 10/10

One of the best parts of Your Lie in April was the music score. Oh god the music. There is nothing much to say other than that it was an absolute treat to my ears. Classical music has always been a soft spot for me, and hearing the recitals, piano/violin performances in the anime reminded me of how good this genre could be. It also worked extremely well for setting the mood. One of my favourite songs would be 'Love's sorrow' and it's been on replay ever since I first heard it.

Animation : 10/10

Your lie in april was a feast for my eyes. I have never been more grateful for a good computer monitor until now. The scenery in this anime was glorious, all the colours come to laugh and become more than just that, and how the creators used it here is a testament to how good animation can really be.

The anime had a interesting way of using colours, For example, the character's mood or state of mind were conveyed were conveyed using a brilliant colour palette that just made me go 'wow, I never knew they could do that' with every episode. Overall it was very imaginative and very impressive.

Overall : 9/10

A definite must watch for music lovers, romance enthusiasts, and anyone looking for a anime with a good plot, solid character development and great animation. I will definitely be coming back to watch this again.

Recommended: 5/5

Crimson Peak - The movie with an identity crisis

When I walked out of the cinema this morning, I spent almost ten minutes in the toilet pondering on what I just watched. I had a mixture of emotions roiling inside me, which made me stop to think about what I just saw. And around nine hours later, I sit here, still not quite sure of what I did watch.

I was tremendously excited to watch this movie for several reasons. (a) It was a gothic romance, (b) The trailer made it looked superb, and (c) The cast of the movie looked freaking awesome. But strangely enough, it wasn't quite what I expected it to be. Could it be because my hopes for this movie were ridiculously high? Maybe. But Crimson Peak has some rather glaring flaws which might have attributed to how disappointing this film turned out to be.

Let's get this straight. Crimson Peak is not bad. In fact, I wished it turned out to be some stupid romance horror flick that I could just walk out of the cinema and say "Meh. That was awful." and go on my merry way. But it wasn't. And that, is what makes me torn. The problem, is that Crimson Peak isn't bad, but it is definitely not good either.

For starters, the plot was quite lackluster. It's straightforward, and plays out like one of those point and click adventure novels which makes it, unfortunately, quite predictable. You know how it will play out, thanks to the ample amount of foreshadowing, but it uses a straight forward formula that takes much of the 'mystery' aspect out of it. And we have to keep in mind that Crimson Peak isn't marketed as a 'Mystery' movie, so we can't really blame the darn thing for having such a lackluster mystery.

But on the other hand, Crimson Peak isn't a horror movie either. I'm no expert, but it doesn't really feel like a 'horror' movie would. Like Edith, our main female character, says at the beginning of the movie. It's not a ghost story. It's a story with ghosts in it. Well, okay. And therein lies the problem.

Crimson Peak does not know what it wants to be.

It's not scary enough for horror fans, It's doesn't have good enough plot for mystery fans, and while the romance makes the movie interesting, it isn't enough to save it. Crimson peak can't be classified by a genre, because it doesn't even know it should be classified as. The story goes from 'mystery' to 'romance' to 'horror' and then shockingly, ends with a sequence that seems like it would be a better fit in a slasher movie than in this one.

Pros:

+Movie is stunning and very beautiful
+The cast and its acting is brilliant
+CGI is well done and doesn't feel cheap
+Sound effects are good

Cons:

-Weak plot
-Unsatisfying payoff
-Movie is stuck between a smattering of genres
-A little too bloody despite being marketed as a gothic romance


Did I enjoy Crimson Peak? Yes.

Would I watch it again? No.

Seraphina - To be or not to be?

I think  most of us have read fantasy books about dragons at least once in our lives. There is something very intriguing about scaly, fire breathing reptiles that make them such an interesting subject to read about. Dragons have played many different roles. Villain, victim, hero. As time has gone by, they no longer have a fixed set of powers. Now they don't merely breathe fire, they can a wide variety of powers ranging from shape-shifting to healing, and are no longer just painted as beastly brutes who plunder the lands in search of their next meal.

The dragons in Seraphina are one such variation of dragons and are intelligent, sentient creatures. And I think this is one of the reasons that make Seraphina such a interesting read. That is not the only thing the book has to offer of course, they are certainly many other factors that make it such a good read as it is.

The story follows Seraphina, or Phina for short, as she tries to navigate through the waters of high society while trying to keep her 'heritage' under wraps. I confess that I didn't expect it to be part-murder mystery, part-self discovery, but thankfully it was done pretty well. The other characters in the book like Lucien and Glisselda were likable in their own way, and the interactions with Seraphina were so lively, and the way they contrasted with her just made those scenes come to life in the best possible way. The romance this book comes out of nowhere, and while I'm not really bothered by it I feel that it could have done without.

Unlike in some books, the politics in Seraphina did not bore me to death. The power play between Dragons and Humans is a source of tension for both races, and our dear protagonist is caught between the two worlds (literally) and desperately tries to keep herself from being washed away by the hostility between the two races. Her path of self-acceptance doesn't play out like one of those cliche fairytale types, it is much more intense and emotionally disturbing in a way.

Overall, it was a nice read and I look forward to picking up the next installment in the series.

7.5/10 - Would read again! 

Recommended to those who are okay with/like:

-Fantasy

-Politics

-Dragons

-Slight incestous vibes (Lucien and Glisselda are cousins and are engaged, but this is only referenced sparsely throughout the book)