Electric Gypsy

Straight facts.

I purchased my first PRS guitar - a Tremonti signature in black slate - back in 2011. I didn't know anything about Mark Tremonti or Alter Bridge before that, and well, I still know very little about them. The draw was a Les Paul-styled guitar with some extra and modern features. It'd been my main guitar for almost a decade until I decided to get a PRS Custom 24 in black gold burst at the end of 2020. If it wasn't obvious by now, I do quite like PRS guitars. So imagine my surprise when I came across a used original PRS Mira this January.

Solid mahogany body and neck, double cutaway, rosewood fingerboard with 24 frets, coil-splitting humbuckers and bird inlays, there just isn't a lot more that I could ask for. I'm still blown away by its playability and sound every time I play it. Joe Knaggs certainly knew what he was doing.

What started as a single unplanned purchase soon morphed into a year-long quest of guitar acquisition. I wasn't exactly fond of Stratocaster-styled guitars when I first started playing, but that has changed over time and I decided it was time for me to add one to the line-up.

This one took some effort since there are so many different types of Stratocasters on the market, but ultimately I settled on a MIJ Hybrid '60s Stratocaster in arctic white as its overall specs - vintage USA pickups in particular - and price point were just about right. I have it tuned in Eb and it's always fun to play. A really nice guitar no doubt, but after a while I began looking for a Stratocaster that matched my personal preferences more closely.

Digital Vibrations

So this is what laziness looks like.

It's true what they say about overdrive pedals

Two excellent albums came out last Friday and I've been having a great time listening to them over the weekend. The first one is The Aristocrats With Primuz Chamber Orchestra, which is essentially the band's original performances mixed with string arrangements. The orchestra adds layers of richness to the pieces and cleverly fills up spaces with intriguing melodies. I was certainly surprised and entertained by some of the orchestral parts. Having recently performed with an orchestra myself, playing music that is most certainly beyond my usual repertoire, I could definitely appreciate how different elements are woven together to elevate the original compositions.

The second album is Bill Laurence & The Untold Orchestra Live at EFG London Jazz Festival 2021, recorded last November. In contrast to the playfulness of the Aristocrats and the Primuz Chamber Orchestra, this concert feels very intimate and, for lack of a better word, pure. It's an uplifting experience every time I listen to it and I would say that I like it more than the Aristocrats' record, despite generally preferring guitar-driven music over everything else. In any case, I highly recommend that anyone interested give the two albums a listen - you won't be disappointed.

Flying in a blue dream.

Constants and Variables

Another year begins.

It had taken quite some time, but a few weeks ago I finished one of those seemingly obligatory objectives of the game.

Speaking of taking one's sweet time, I finally resolved to scan Granblue Fantasy Graphics Archive IV. Also my apologies for not replying to comments - I haven't been receiving any notification for some reason and I suppose I don't check this place as much as I should.

Drifting in the aisles.

Between The Lines

It has been a while. A long while.

I suppose it's a yearly thing now, so here's Granblue Fantasy Graphic Archive IV Extra Works for your viewing pleasure. I have yet to unbind the main book so I can't make any promise on a possible deadline. It'll be done in due time. I hope.

Hear the sound of music.

A Certain Shade Of Green

Alive and well. Perhaps not as well as I'd like to be, but what can you do about growing old?

Despite an increase in the number of pages, I finished Granblue Fantasy Graphic Archive III much faster than I did with the previous book. I feel like I may have rushed it a little, but in any case, please enjoy the pretty pictures.

A written invitation.

Zoetrope

A little late but I wish everyone a happy New Year! Let's just hope that the world won't be plagued by too much turmoil.

The cushion is really comfortable

I decided to make a trip to Japan for Christmas and New Year celebrations. It was nowhere near as materialistically fruitful as I'd expected, largely because I miraculously and needlessly held myself back on impulse purchases, which might actually be contradictory to one of my reasons for going there in the first place. There's a lot that I would like to say about my time in the mega-city of Tokyo, so I won't bore anyone with it. Have some pretty pictures instead.

Being one of the only two guys at the Gintama cafe was quite a surreal experience though.

Xanadu

It is supposed to be summertime and yet it doesn't feel like summer here at all.

Although I'd thought I was mentally prepared for this, the whole process still took much longer and was more tedious than I had in mind. So take your time and enjoy pretty pictures from Granblue Fantasy Graphics Archive II.

I'd have to say I like my privacy.

We Are Finally Cowboys

I don't particularly enjoy saying this, but time really does fly.

Four months ago, Makoto Sanda brought us 創神と喪神のマギウス (Soushin to Soushin no Magius), which seemed like an unhealthy mix of Toaru Majutsu no Index and Persona with characters that looked like they could use a vacation in some Fate spin-offs. Now the second volume is upon us and I'm not too sure what to say. The development at the end of the volume was predictable yet somewhat unexpected for me. I might write something when I have the time, but for now please enjoy the pretty pictures.

A 60-tonne angel falls to the Earth.

Voyage 34

The usual same face issues aside, I'm rather impressed with the quality of Tony's latest art book.

There is not a whole lot of new content in the book, but the excellent quality of the pictures more than makes up for it. Putting out everything in the book is a tall order that I just don't have the time or energy for, though I do believe there are smaller scans floating around that may require some searching. Nonetheless, enjoy the swimsuits and so on. Altina is still the cutest in my book.

Always the summers are slipping away.

Under Pressure

No one old and nothing new. Eyes closed and all of the rest will flow.

Three Minute Warning

Laying out this little section with some semblance of propriety always seems to be a tedious task.

Given how much time I waste on other activities these days, I wonder if I'd ever get around to actually the read the book, but here are the illustrations of 創神と喪神のマギウス, a new series by Makoto Sanda – probably best known for authoring Rental Magica, gamemastering Red Dragon and more recently, penning the Lord El-Melloi II Case Files. The illustrator Soga Makoto should be no stranger to those who are familiar with Fate-related works, though whether that is a good thing or not for this series is another story.

The curtains stay closed now.

Silent Fortissimo

The festive season is around the corner again.

Even now it still bemuses me how similar Kurehito's and Shinobu's styles are and, strangely enough, how I'm starting to like the latter's more. Enjoy the lovely illustrations of the second and last volume of 太陽のチャンネル, which seemed better composed than the first book, and Granblue Fantasy Graphic Archive that I had been meaning to put up for a long while.

A candle's a treat.

Reckless Serenade

Time flies.

Enjoy the pretty pictures, even if everything Kurehito draws now is oddly shiny. Once again, Megumi gets her own little special scene at the very end as she always does. I could probably live without more side stories though.

The sun is a light bulb.

Pleather For Breakfast

It's time for one of those posts again.

So here are the illustrations of SaeKano Volume 8. A picture is worth a thousand words, but they can be misleading too. Another date at the mall, and while Tomoya and Megumi aren't exactly on first name basis yet, she does start using 'Tomoya-kun' for a bit and he develops a habit of calling her Megumi. Iori eventually ends up joining blessing software, so you'd think everything is going to be alright but well, Volume 7 Girls Side probably finished on a happier note than this one.

Not that it really means anything.

One Minute Of Love

I wonder if it's just the calm before the storm, but it sure is eerily quiet. Perhaps Megumi was right in Memories of Lily when she said that people simply forgot about SaeKano when the new season and shows started rolling in.

Not much of a surprise and slightly old news now, but Volume 8 will be released on June 20th. While I had imagined that Izumi will be featured on the cover – which does not seem to be the case now – the synopsis seems to suggest that Eriri may be heavily involved in the story.

That said, I don't have much time until the next volume to summarize Girls Side and since there is no guarantee if I'll be able to do a comprehensive summary – feels a bit like an oxymoron – at all, I will leave here a quick-bite version for the lazy and the busy.

Nothing Out Of The Ordinary

It is the time for one of those posts again.

So here are the illustrations for SaeKano Girls Side and pretty pictures from Shining Blade & Ark Collection of Visual Materials because why not. Akane certainly looks different from what I had in mind and even though it's a side story, Maruto isn't going easy on us at all. To think that Eriri and Megumi ended their friendship though (in Eriri's eyes anyway), that might actually change a few things.

My head beats a better way.

Modern Meat

New year, old problems.

I was supposed to write this a month ago but it's just too easy to be lazy. So Megumi is really everywhere now. What are you planning, Maruto? Winter Comiket may be over but the fun certainly hasn't stopped. Missed out on a couple of things but got most of what I had wanted and a bit more. Apart from the pretty pictures, I suppose what I looked forward to the most were Maruto and Kurehito's comments in the new book. Jokes about Izumi bumping into Tomoya in the school corridor and (with a 1 in 10,000,000 chance) ending up in paizuri a highly compromising position aside, she and Michiru should be playing bigger roles in the upcoming volumes. Maruto's known love for married women and black tights appears to be alive and well, so perhaps Kurehito's wish for Eriri's mother to get lots of screen time will be realized soon too. Not that it helped Sayuka in any way, but that's probably an entirely different story altogether.

The part that got me the most was perhaps the theme of Volume 7 illustrations. Essentially, it's the contrast between this and this, Megumi and Eriri's crying scenes, and lastly Megumi buying a pair of glasses for Tomoya and Eriri taking them away. That's nice and all except that upon close inspection it becomes apparent that Megumi and Eriri have exactly the same hands. It gave me a good laugh, especially since there was this as well. There's something going on here and I'm not sure if anyone is prepared to learn the truth.

Last Note, First Trip

Could this be the first time ever that we have reached a climax at the end of a year on this sad little show I'm running by myself? The cold stillness of a despairing winter and the warm liveliness of a hopeful spring; after six volumes and a fan disc, we are here at last to witness the bittersweet finale of the first stage of Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata.

From the moment Megumi was revealed to be on the cover for the first time, it was clear that something big was about to go down. If the first five volumes were building up an amusement park and the previous volume was us getting on its emotional roller coaster, then this one is where we go for the wild ride. The best part is that there are still other attractions to visit afterwards.

Previously on SaeKano, ominous clouds gather over the bridge of troubled waters. With the Winter Comiket submission deadline looming just around the corner, Eriri retreats to her family mansion on the Nasu Highlands to finish her illustrations. After going through serious struggles as an artist, she develops a new style and completes her work, but collapses due to the deadly Japanese cold fatigue. Tomoya decides to give up on the game and rushes to Eriri's side. Though initially upset at his decision, Eriri spends Christmas with Tomoya and the two of them finally make peace with each other. Their game would eventually become a top seller, but Tomoya's decision to act alone creates a rift between him and Megumi who begins to distance herself from him after Comiket. Meanwhile, Eriri discovers that she is unable to reproduce her new art style. For a slightly longer version, see here.

Keep Yourself Alive

Come into these arms again, and lay your body down. The rhythm of this trembling heart, is beating like a drum.

Still falls the night. Lust for blood. Killing under a scarlet moon.

For reasons less than honourable, I picked up 太陽のチャンネル or Channel of the Sun, a new title illustrated by Shinobu Kuroya and authored by Yukito Urushibara, yet another scenario writer who's ventured into the world of light novels. I haven't actually read Yukito's best known work いろとりどりのセカイ, so I'm going into this with just the knowledge that he has a habit of repeating himself and padding out sentences, and dividing whole sentences up into small, individual lines. Arguably the latter – aimed at creating a unique sense of rhythm – is not so much of an issue when presented in a book format, since the entire texts are laid out before the readers unlike visual novels that require mouse clicks and button presses. Though on the other hand some will likely find the broken sentences ineffective, clumsy and a pain to trudge through.

The story follows Hitoshiki Shima, a high school student who leads a double life as the strongest hitman. One night, he receives a bag to deliver for his job but is surprised to discover the body of a pretty girl inside. He is almost immediately approached by another mysterious girl who tries to take the bag by force after Hitoshiki refuses to hand it over. Quickly realizing that he's no match for the seemingly immortal girl, Hitoshiki takes the bag and retreats through sewer tunnels. He safely arrives at Kokuma Dormitory – Hitoshiki's home and the destination for his delivery – and shockingly finds the girl in the bag alive as she rises, bathed in sunlight, and asks to meet Rintarou Shima – the original owner of the dormitory, a demon hunter, the self-proclaimed world's No.1 busybody, Hitoshiki's saviour, and his late foster father.

Joy Of Motion

I guess this is where I say Merry early Christmas and dump pretty pictures so I don't have to write anything else.

So here are the illustrations of Date A Live Encore 3, 太陽のチャンネル, and 冴えない彼女の育てかた 7. Expect some ramblings about the last two soon. Especially SaeKano, reading it was like getting hit by a bus. Not that I'd want to know what that actually feels like.