Video Game Reviews

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

Just as the new Hunter arrives in the picturesque Moga Village, a massive earthquake rocks the seaside community and he is tasked with investigating the cause of the quakes. The source is thought to be a Lagiacrus – a leviathan that has devastated the fishing fleet and is known for its aggressive behavior. However, the new Hunter is a bit of a greenhorn and needs to both earn his stripes and gain some gear before taking on the Lord of the Seas. Along with a rescued companion, the Hunter is tasked with everything from gathering resources for the rebuilding of the village to defending it from ferocious monsters in order to become strong enough to defeat the Lagiacrus… and even greater perils beyond.

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Kitsune

Aiura – First Impressions

I will say that the artwork is very beautiful, however – it’s shaded more than a typical anime and looks a lot like watercolor. It has a very illustrative feel, which makes me hope that the story itselfwill be very smooth, atmospheric, and interesting.

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New in Japan

Valvrave the Liberator – First Impressions by Drake

I just completed episode 1 of Valvrave the Liberator, and all I can say is ‘WOW!’ and ‘OH MY GOD! WHAT EVEN?’ Suffice it to say, this anime blew my mind away in ways I never expected, and completely took me by surprise. Instead of being the typical run-of-the-mill giant robot anime, like Majestic Prince was last week and the many others that came before them, this anime is already displaying some themes that just hit home on many levels.

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Anime

Valvrave the Liberator

Much of humanity has migrated into space, and three clear factions have formed, associated with different Earth powers: ARUS, which holds its own via negotiation; Dorssia, which functions as a military state; and JIOR, a much smaller neutral nation that finds its power in its economic prosperity.

Haruto Tokishima is a student at Sakimori High School, a private institution in Module 77 of JIOR’s space colonies. He is going about his daily life as war rages between the other two factions, about to confess love to his childhood friend, Shouko Sashinami, when the colony falls under Dorssian attack, breaking JIOR’s neutrality. A mech housed beneath the school is accidentally launched to the surface level near Haruto, who climbs aboard and is asked an unsettling question by the onboard computer: “Do you resign your humanity?” His answer grants him pilothood of the mech, known as a Valvrave—but what is the extent of the human cost of his decision to defend his fellow students, and how is the now-isolated student body supposed to carry on with no clear authority in place?

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Valvrave the Liberator

Valvrave the Liberator – First Impressions by Miki

The year is True Calendar 71. Humanity has moved 70% of its populations to space colonies known as “Dyson Spheres” (no, they are not styled after vacuum cleaners), and on the neutral colony of JIOR, at least, things seem to be at peace. However, teenage agents from an aggressing force invade the colony and the academy found there in search of some sort of secret base.

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