Very Slow Scene

Chances are I will only get to do this once in our lifetime.

Once again we have come to the end of another year, almost abruptly so for me. I finished my project at last, which turned out pretty mediocre since I lost most of my motivation for it about halfway through. My supervisor was impressed with my presentation though. He actually made me chuckle a bit when he told me that I sounded more professional than usual. Personally I'm more pleased with the fact I don't have to wear my leather shoes again for quite a while. Hopefully never.

My friend sent me this Luka nendoroid as a birthday gift a couple of months ago, along with a humorous card (a cat rocking out "Happy Birthday" on a flying V). I was going to buy a Luka plushie ages ago but it was sold out every time I went to check, and after a while I just kind of forgot about it. Something just wasn't meant to be. Anyway I've actually got another present coming but like most of my preorders, won't be here till next March. It's probably worth the wait though.

I haven't recommended any album for a bit so here's one, mamenoi's first album, Tachyon. MANYO (arcane, Little Wing) and nagi (formerly supercell) formed mamenoi back when they worked on 空想活劇・弐 together, and if their first release is anything to go by, we can expect some great things from the duo in the future. The album starts off with a lengthy instrumental track, which sets the general tone for the rest of the album - atmospheric and emotional. The slow yet uplifting "青色灯" builds up the momentum which leads well into faster and heavier "Kleinchen". "パンタレイ" continues on with the modern and pop feel of "Kleinchen" but is more conventional in its approach to the song structure. The fifth track "ラブラドライト", a seemingly bright and happy song that takes a sudden dive into a sea of melancholy with its beautiful and expressive chorus, is arguably the highlight of the album. The sombre "eirōneia" and "phaetone" drop the pace a bit before "旅の終わり" picks it up again and kicks it into full drive with the eponymous "Tachyon", whose verse has just the slightest hint of 君の知らない物語. After the last instrumental "Lacunarity", the album gradually comes to an end with the percussion-free "トレイル" and simple yet sentimental "手紙". The pair's talents complement each other fairly well, MANYO's arrangements offer nagi a lot of room for her soothing vocals, which in turn breathe life into the former's rich compositions. Overall it is quite a nice effort from mamenoi and let's hope their next release will be even better.

Recently I came across a browser game called Gun Blood Days, which takes place in a futuristic Japan amidst a civil war following the collapse of the country's government. There are three factions for the players to choose from, the conglomerate Orthros who had risen rapidly in power and wealth thanks to its commercialization of Alter Metal; the Japanese Liberation Front, centered around members of the now-defunct Japan Self-Defense Force who stand in opposition against Orthros; and the American task force Saber, commanded by admiral Catherine Whitefield, who came to Japan at the request of the Japanese government in exile. There are also the international organization Geneva who monitors and maintains the laws of war in Japan, and the mysterious terrorist group Night of the Crimson Lotus who launches indiscriminate attacks on everyone else.

Discarding characters becomes increasingly difficult

Essentially GBD is a card game with some additional mechanics. The players can earn coins through missions, and by engaging in combat against NPCs or other players. Coins are used to purchase characters from the Bronze Course, and depending on your luck, you will either get a weak Bronze character, a slightly stronger High Bronze, or a shiny Royal Bronze which is about as good as you can get from the Bronze Course, unless there is a special event going on (you can get a Diamond character from the Bronze Course at the moment, which I was lucky enough to get with fewer tries than many others). Silver, Gold and Diamond characters are generally out of the question unless you want to pay real money, though a few Silver characters can be obtained by completing missions, and until the 26th of December extended to the end of next February, every player can get a Gold Gai Ariake for free. So it's not too bad but of course players who pay up for better characters will have a massive advantage over those who don't. That doesn't mean people who play it for free can't win against those who spend money on it however.

One of the Diamond cards I wanted, but $30 is a bit much

And that is mainly because there is practically no strategy involved whatsoever, as the battles are automatic and the outcomes are determined using a fixed formula. However, I hardly believe the selling point of the game is the combat anyway, most people are probably just drawn to the girls and it's no secret that the Japanese have a thing for card games. Leveling up is done by fusing cards, and once a character reaches his/her max level, you can either limit break them (70% chance of success for Bronze, 60% for Silver, 50% for Gold and 45% for Diamond) or transform them into another card (the remaining percentage). Limit broken characters start back at level 1 with improved stats and have their level cap raised by 10. With the other option, it is possible to transform weaker characters into stronger ones with the right combinations, but the success rate honestly quite low. Characters with a ♦ mark before their names can be special fused. These characters deal 3 times more damage to the raid bosses, so it's a good idea to get as many of them as you can.

Currently I'm working on completing the Witch Girls (missing the top two) and getting a certain miko with a fox mask. The advantage of a browser game is that I can have it on while doing my work and other things, but the downside is I tend to forget about it and with a less-than-exciting system like this, it can become rather boring sometimes. I will probably keep playing it for a bit and see what happens.

I still can't believe that I totally missed the screening of Madoka movies though.