After being left out of the fun at ICDS, our Otaku at large decided to pay a visit to the Charlotte (not ours) showcase at UDX, Crossfield, Akihabara. Other than the flea market usually held on most weekends, UDX Akihabara also hosts anime related exhibitions at their premise.
Who knows what will be on display next month as Charlotte comes to an end tomorrow.
Find out more about The Mysterious Circumstances of an Irregular Otaku in Tokyo by following The Neo Tokyo Project and Edric on Facebook.
This year, our in-house Otaku decided to visit Comiket 88. We didn’t hear from him since his last comment about the weather being very hot. We’re worried that he might have been too engrossed with his new doujins instead of setting his priorities straight.
Morning crowd before Comiket opens.
Find out more from Arvin’s 101 Guide to Surviving Summer Comiket.
The squeeze to buy Doujins at 11:07 AM
The summer edition of the bi-annual event held on 14th – 16th August has come and gone with more than 600,000 attendees and 40,000 participating Circles. While Comiket has been foremost, a doujinshi and creators affair, there has been an increasing number of cosplayers braving the summer heat to attend the convention, dressing up as various anime, games and movie characters.
There’s a wanted wizard ‘Arry.
While there were some who wore armor, most prefer the use of cloth. Others decided to go along with the summer festivities with summer friendly costumes of their favorite series.
Love Live! Cheerleader costumes.
Some of the major players helping circles get their goods out to the masses also made a strong showing at the commercial halls.
Comic Toranoana, one of the major distributors of Doujinshi and other anime related products in Japan also have a booth with some original works from various artists.
We can’t get enough of Melon Books, another major distributor of Doujinshi and other anime related products in Japan.
Lashinbang, a retailer that specialize in second goods decided to bring in some exclusive first-hand loot just for Comiket.
Game companies also made a strong showing with exclusive Comiket goods and upcoming titles.
SEGA too turned up for Comiket showing off their upcoming figures yet to hit the arcades.
ATLUS showed up as well with loads of Persona loot which was sold out by the end of day 2.
Everyone wants a cute mascot and now, Unity Technology Japan too have Unity-Chan.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a hot topic for Comiket this year, after fears of copyrights law changes might affect the future of doujins and Comiket. A premium membership is required to rewatch the discussion held on Friday on Nico Nico Douga (Japanese Only).
The TPP saga has ruffled a few feathers at Comiket.
See you at Comiket 89 from 29th – 31st December.
Find out more about The Mysterious Circumstances of an Irregular Otaku in Tokyo by following The Neo Tokyo Project and Edric on Facebook.
The Irregular Otaku managed to visit The Art of Gundam at Mori Arts Center Gallary in Roppongi during his summer break.
We can never get enough of those giant robots Gundam ever since the first animation took the world by storm. They were never meant for kids. Interest in space drama grew in the 1970s, with Space Battleship Yamato and Starwars. Yamato, in particular, changed the perspective that animation was for kids.
Early concepts for the original Mobile Suit Gundam, took shape in earlier titles like Freedom Fighter, Chronical of Drifting Journey of J Boys and Space Fighter Battalion Gunboy. Gundam would later incorporate these ideas. The success of Gundam revolves several critical elements, still prevalent in popular Gundam titles today. The story is about a group of boys thrown into an extreme condition of war and how they would react within their respective organizations. Of course, the use of giant robots known as Gundam became necessary tools of war with a great emphasis on realistic designs of sets and equipment.
The story was unusually weighty for children and its intended audience of Junior Highschool students with topics of realism and foreshadowing of how our world might become in the near future. It was meant to stimulate the imagination and create a strong sense of empathy from the viewers. Where the idea of humanity moving into space is exceptionally real in the 1970s with overpopulation and a looming environmental crisis.
The concept of a space colony is not plucked out of pure fantasy but based on American physicist, O’Neil’s concept of a space settlement. However, there are storytelling tools involved, like the concept of Minovsky Particles. We know that this functional technology blocks the use of radar and communications, making long distance battles impossible. But it also served another purpose and that is to make the story more convincing and personal. Its boring to watch a space light show right?
The new Gundam Movie, GUNDAM: The Origin II will screen in Japan from 31st October 2015.
Fans of the tradition Gundam stories will have more to cheer this October. A new Gundam anime will be screened from 4th October 2015, remember to mark your calendars.
The exhibition runs until September 27, 2015. If you’re a fan of Mobile Suit Gundam and you’re in Tokyo from now until end September, don’t ever miss this fine collection of Gundam artifacts.
Link: http://www.gundam-ten.jp/en/
Find out more about The Mysterious Circumstances of an Irregular Otaku in Tokyo by following The Neo Tokyo Project and Edric on Facebook.
This article is made possible thanks to the folks over at Attn. Japan. Find out more about Japan by checking out their magazines. If you are interested in various attractions around Tokyo, Tokyo Convention & Visitor’s Facebook page has the most up to date most happening events around the city.
“Fate/Grand Order is easy”, said no weeaboo over.
While the interface itself is fairly straightforward, the shitty RNG that plagues the Grand Summon system often results in erratic rolls, and has the tendency to screw you over with a whole bunch of Craft Essences rather than fresh Servants.
This can often mean that if you’re not a pay-to-win, Saint-Quartz spamming player, you’re going to either be behind on the curve because your Servants aren’t cutting it level wise, or you’re often out of AP, which you need to maximize your story progression.
Thankfully, there are daily Event Quests in game that are designed to help you speed things along, and they aren’t that hard to master.
The trick to it, we realized, is the Sunday Event Quest – the Master Training scenario. We got an early start before last week’s Unlimited Maintenance Works thanks to that, and it’s really helped us come out ahead in the grind.
You can access Dailies through the Chaldean Gate option in Stage Select, and you can start blowing through them as early as Level 10. Just make sure you’ve got Shielder and your Starter up to at least Level 10 using XP-up drops, and you should be all set.
You should have plenty of Exp-Up drops early game, so DO put all your eggs in one or two baskets.
Like all other Dailies, the Master Training scenario has three difficulties and cost either 10, 20, or 40 AP.
Everyone loves a good Event Quest. :3
1. Master Training (AP 10)
Mooks are werewolves with an average Level of 6 and 3,800 hp, with either Saber, Lancer or Assassin Classes.
Boss is a werewolf Assassin with a Servant level of 15 and 13,765 hp. Abilities include a Critical rate buff and a multi-hit finisher.
Rewards 1,650 xp upon completion.
I-it’s not like werewolves are hard at lower levels or anything. Well, maybe if you have no friends…
2. Master Training (AP 20)
Mooks are ghosts with the Assassin class, an average Level of 10 and 6,000 hp.
Leader is a Level 25 ghost with 27,074 hp that can paralyze your party and inflict debuffs.
Rewards 8,310 xp upon completion.
Once you’ve gotten the hang of farming Master levels, it’s easy to get into the spirit of things. 😡
3. Master Training (AP 40)
Mooks are primarily lamia between the Level 12 to 18 range with the Caster class and average 8,000 hp. Every now and then, you might also encounter shadow Servants with the abilities of Medusa (Rider), Euryale (Archer) or Stheno (Assassin).
Boss is a Level 40 demon with the Caster class, 58,503 hp, buff skills and really big damage potential.
Rewards 34,140 xp upon completion.
Can’t say I enjoy snaking around with these guys. =_=;;
This is the toughest guy you’ve gotta kill. 😮
Since gaining Master levels improves your abilities and also replenishes your AP, you can speedily farm levels as long as you’re able to hit all the right leveling break points. With enough level ups, you can also increase your party size, and attempt the same scenario at a higher difficulty.
The risks are definitely worth the reward, and it’s not uncommon to gain 20 Master levels on a good day before you hit a point where you can’t level up on the quick and need to wait for your AP to recharge anymore.
Does Master Level matter?
A higher Master level means better Master skills, a bigger party of Servants, and more AP to expend for Event Quests and Story Mode.
Being a Master means more than just wearing a swanky jacket.
Right now, my Master rank is 45, with Level 6 in all Master skills. My AP is 70, and my party cost is 69. That means I can run a full party of 5 4-star Servants, or a full party of 3-star Servants with some sick Craft Essences, and that makes clearing stages a breeze.
Daily Quests for Fun and Profit
Daily Event Quests are the path to victory. There’s even a handy list in game that reminds you which days are the best days to play!
If you’re just starting out, your best bet is to focus on doing a whole bunch of daily Event Quests rather than jumping ahead with the story.
Some recommended Event Quests to start with are:
Monday, Wednesday & Saturday:
Treasure Vault (QP). Mooks and bosses are primarily Caster types. You’ll need lots of QP to level up your Servants later, so start farming this Event Quest early and often.
Monday & Thursday:
Gathering Sparks (Three Knights). Exp-Up drops for the Three Knight Classes Saber, Archer and Lancer. Focus on this if your preferred Servant is a Saber, Archer or Lancer.
Tuesday & Friday:
Gathering Sparks (Four Horsemen). Exp-Up drops for the Four Horsemen Classes Assassin, Berserker, Caster and Rider. Focus on this if your preferred Servant is an Assassin, Berserker, Caster or Rider.
Saturday:
If you’re in a fairly comfortable position, or have a sizable enough pool of Servants to choose from, you can also do Congregation at Dawn (woohoo, MTG reference!), which has Exp-Up drops for all seven Classes.
Developing a Routine:
Because my starter unit was Ushiwakamaru (Rider), I went with Sunday (Master Training) > Monday (QP) > Tuesday (Four Horsemen Exp-Up) > Wednesday (QP) > Thursday (Three Knights Exp-Up) > Friday (Four Horsemen Exp-Up) > Saturday (QP) > Sunday (Master Training).
This netted me a good amount of QP and Master levels early game and helped to offset some really bad 40 Saint Quartz pulls.
My personal routine now is Monday (Three Knights Exp-Up) > Tuesday (Four Horsemen Exp-Up) > Wednesday (QP) > Thursday (Three Knights Exp-Up) > Friday (Four Horsemen Exp-Up) > Saturday (QP) > Sunday (Master Training).
Once you’ve found a routine you’re comfortable with, the game will turn from an annoyance into a breeze.
Our Otaku Professor headed down to Meguro last week to have a look at what’s going on at Meguro Gajoen. The Wanoakari X Hundred Steps, presents a cultural exhibition of various events and artworks from around Japan.
Room of Jippo
Room of Gyosho
Room of Souku
Room of Seisui
Room of Seikou
Room of Kiyokata
Room of Chojyou
They bothered to number each step.
There are some props that are way too big for the rooms…
We last heard that the Otaku Professor was also spotted loitering at a Gundam Exhibition at Roppongi.
Find out more about The Mysterious Circumstances of an Irregular Otaku in Tokyo by following The Neo Tokyo Project and Edric on Facebook.
This article is made possible thanks to the folks over at Attn. Japan. Find out more about Japan by checking out their magazines. If you are interested in various attractions around Tokyo, Tokyo Convention & Visitor’s Facebook page has the most up to date most happening events around the city.
I don’t usually play mobile phone games, but for Fate/Grand Order (mostly because the Fate series is my one weeb indulgence), I decided to make an exception.
Grand Order is the latest in Type Moon’s long running Fate franchise. For those of you who have not been exposed to the awesomeness that is Fate, well, think of it as a history lesson for otakus on crack, with a heavy dose of the supernatural thrown in.
In the setting, magicians vie for supremacy in Holy Grail Wars, with the ‘heroic spirits’ of famous persons from the past as their battle companions. These spirits are categorized loosely into RPG style archetypes like Archer, Assassin, Berserker, Caster, Lancer, Rider and Saber, and possess both mysterious powers and arcane relics (called Noble Phantasms) inspired by their real-world legends.
I could go on and on about the setting and all, but it’s really easier to just scoot over to the Type Moon Wiki for a quick look.
Say hello to Mr. Genderswapped Rin Tohsaka.
Now, on to the review.
Fate/Grand Order puts you in the role of a fresh recruit in Chaldea, an organization that oversees human history (it’s kinda like S.H.I.E.L.D., but with magic users).
Naturally, being the typical spiky-haired anime-style protagonist that you are, you quickly get embroiled in all sorts of trouble, and have to plunge through time to save the world.
Of course, as in all things Fate, the Master (that’s you) isn’t capable of going it alone since you know, people tend to die when they’re killed. That’s why you’re relegated to more of a support role, slinging heals and buffs while your Servants handle the heavy lifting.
Gameplay switches between a simple map-based navigation, VN style narration, and fights with some repetitive mooks and the occasional stage boss.
The navigation’s pretty straightforward. I mean, you can’t get more obvious than that.
The story reads like a visual novel. Also, who woulda thunk your kouhai would be part-Heroic Spirit?
Attempting stages consumes AP (like any other mobile game), and naturally, you have to conquer stages to progress in the story.
Combat is simple and essentially a spin on the Rock, Paper, Scissors (and in this case also Lizard and Spock) system, coupled with match-3 elements.
Check out how Servant classes interact by clicking on Menu. You can also select Menu if you want to Flee the battle.
Each Servant has a predetermined pool of color-coded cards determined by their class, which contain Arts (Blue), Buster (Red) and Quick (Green) moves.
Check out a Servant’s status screen to find out what attacks they possess. Building a team with good synergies can go a long way.
In a nutshell, Arts cards increase the Servant’s NP (Noble Phantasm) gauge, which allows them to pull off their special attacks, Buster cards inflict a large amount of physical damage, and Quick cards add to your Critical chance in the following round, allowing for bigger numbers on a successful hit.
Each round, the game pulls five cards, and after making tactical decisions such as using Servant abilities or Master buffs, you can lock in three of the five cards to form an attack chain.
Plan your moves before you hit the Attack button, because there’s no way to go back. Luckily, the cards you’re dealt each turn are displayed prominently.
Chaining the same type of moves can grant a stronger effect (a successful Arts chain fills the NP gauge of all Servants participating in that attack by 20%, for example), while chaining three attacks by the same Servant (by picking 3 similar portraits rather than move types) grants an extra attack. You can combine both move chains and Servant chains for even greater effect, but such occurrences tend to be rare.
Filling up a Servant’s Noble Phantasm gauge lets you use their special attack. These stronger moves also fall under the Arts, Buster, or Quick categories, so chain them strategically to take down difficult enemies. Each Noble Phantasm activation also comes with animation and cut-ins, so Fate fanboys who’ve always wondered how some of these attacks look like, rejoice.
Darius III’s Noble Phantasm – Athanaton Ten Thousand. Who doesn’t want to be trampled by elephanthulhu and hordes of the undead?
There are currently 59 Servants and 36 Mystic Codes (called Craft Essences in the game) to be collected, and rolling for them is done lottery style through the Grand Summon interface.
These Servants include fan favorites like Arturia, Cu Chulainn and Gilgamesh, as well as brand new ones created just for Grand Order. Nasuverse followers will also recognize Mystic Codes such as the Black Keys, the Kaleidoscope and Rin’s pendant in the Craft Essence pool.
You get a free low-tier summon each day, which may result in a 1-star, 2-star (or extremely rarely) 3-star unit or item. You can also make additional low-tier summons with Friend Points acquired from fighting alongsideton your contact list.
Making ten premium pulls with 40 Saint Quartz has a guaranteed chance for a 4-star unit or item, so spend more in-game currency, why don’t you?
Expending Saint Quartz (acquired through completing objectives and stages or through real money microtransactions), by comparison, guarantees a 3-star or higher unit.
The cost is fairly prohibitive though, and with the very iffy RNG system (I’ve been rolling more Craft Essences than I have Servants), you’re better off saving them till later when the game gets patched and things become a little more stable.
These pulls. T_T I-it’s not like my Luck stat is E rank or anything right? Right? ><;;
Needless to say, this means that while the game has it going with the story, the biggest woes plaguing it right now are all design related.
Fights tend to be repetitive and lacking in variety, the recharge rate for AP is tediously slow (which reduces replay value), and Servant balance is questionable at best.
For example, I’ve pulled some really abysmal 4-star Servants, while most 5-star ones I’ve seen are insanely overpowered, with ridiculous parameters and abilities. 1-star and 2-star Servants, by comparison, are little better than chump blockers and the same disparity applies to Craft Essences as well.
Sure, she can pull off that dress, but seriously, most underwhelming 4-star unit ever.
This, of course, begs the question – could the game have been tested more rigorously before release? It’d have definitely mitigated the slew of QQing the devs are seeing on social media to say the least.
Fixing these problems in the first few weeks will be crucial, since player satisfaction and retention pretty much makes or breaks mobile games.
Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if this title manages to take off once the teething pains are over.
While the system lacks in polish, the game is faithful to, and builds upon, the source material. It documents several Holy Grail Wars that never made it onto the small screen, and that’s sure to whet any fan’s appetite. The art is generally pretty, the animation smooth, and the sheer number of new Servants makes for more story and waifu (or husbando) potential.
Fate/Grand Order is currently gated for Japan (to keep us ignorant gaijin types out), but we all know dedicated fans will find a way. It’s also unlikely that there will ever be an English port, but the game’s intuitive enough that you can manage without knowledge of moon runes.
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
For more information about the game, check out the Official Site at: http://www.fate-go.jp.