Strike the Blood

Zach Goodier

Strike the Blood is a show much like what we’ve seen before in the supernatural genre in anime.  Supernatural creatures inhabit a man-made island in the center of the Pacific after revealing their existence to the world.  Akatusuki Kojo is a seemingly normal guy attending high school, except for the fact that he’s a vampire, and the “Fourth Progenitor” none the less (The most powerful vampire in existence).  Fearful of what it might mean to have this dangerously powerful vampire running free, Yukina Himeragi is sent to observe Kojo, and deal with him if necessary.  This supernatural action show jumps right into it with action, magic, and some good old fashioned fan-service for the 13 episodes I’ve seen thus far.

These are the main characters in the first mini-arc, others are introduced as the series progresses.

For starters, Akatusuki is a cool, laid back dude for the most part, he has a sister that he lives with, and they both attend school.  This really helps anchor the feeling that despite all of the magic, vampires, demons, and what-not, the world really hasn’t changed all the much.  The city looks just like any other city at first glance, but on closer look a lot of the city is driven by magic of some kind.  It’s an interesting setting, and it all makes sense for the characters to be there.

Floating city? Sounds like a home just waiting to sink.

Yukina, while fairly well performed and portrayed in the story, serves as the generic fan-service device in the show, with her skirt being blown up in a gust of wind almost right after we meet her.  The rest of the show has a similar feeling, with her school uniform only being shed for either partial nudity or other showy outfits.  This can be a little overdone, at times, but there is still some substance to her character, just not much beyond what you’d expect from a typical show of this genre.  She tends to be overly aggressive towards Kojo whenever he winds up in a suggestive/indecent situation, even if it wasn't his fault.  While this provides some comic relief, the dead horse is beaten just about every episode, so it does get old eventually.

Sights like this are common.  While I don't mind it, it just feels like a one-note song after a while, as fan-service usually does.

A real hook for me was the story surrounding the “Fourth Progenitor.”  This, at first, is a mysterious, ominous-sounding title that hints at some dark power.  The reality, at least thus far, hasn’t been scary in the sense of it feeling dark, but Kojo’s power is very real, he just has no means of controlling it.  The fan-service kicks back into full-swing by requiring Kojo to drink blood from different girls to awaken his powers.  This just reeks of lame-fan-service, but you can roll with it, I guess.  I’m looking forward to seeing more of the story surrounding what happened to Kojo, as it has been hinted that there was a tragic event, but details are still sketchy.

Familiars and magic provide a lot of exciting action, and show off some great animation on the part of the studio.

Other characters include Asagi Aiba, Motoki Yaze, Nagisa Akatsuki, Sayaka Kirasaka, who are more important as the series moves forward, and many of them help Kojo to awaken his familiars, the agents he summons that embody his power.  While there are several magical races, each with different abilities, much of it has been done before, but there are a few interesting surprises to be enjoyed if you stick with it.

Regulus Arm, one of Kojo's familiars.  I just called him the "Energizer Lion" until I remembered his name.

So far, this show is a decent watch.  It hasn’t really broken any new ground, but then again, coming off of Future Diary would make just about anything look mediocre.  However, this is definitely a solid series.  The concept feels a little like Dance in a Vampire Bund, but the characters don’t look or feel pre-adolescent.  In all, I would recommend at least giving this show a shot, the series is well-animated, with a feeling of fast-paced, intense action when fights erupt, and the fan-service can be considered a decent little bonus, even if it somewhat cheapens the experience, in a way.

Good:

-Interesting, mysterious male lead.

-Cool premise, with magic, familiars, and lots of action.

-Bit of mystery to carry the plot forward.

-Sweet music.

Bad:

-Fan-service, as it usually does, cheapens the experience.

-Doesn't really break any new ground in the genre in terms of concept or story.

Scully Rating: 8 out of 10

Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai

Zach Goodier

Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai is an add-on DLC to Shogun 2: Total War, and what an expansion it is.  Fall of the Samurai takes place during the Meiji era, when Britain, France, and the U.S. were all actively involved in opening Japan and modernizing it.  While you still have the traditional spear, sword, and bows, you now have the introduction of modern late-19^th century weapons.  These weapons include advanced field cannon, carbine cavalry, ironclad ships, and even Gatling guns.  With these weapons, you must declare loyalty to either the shogun or emperor, and proceed to expand your control over Japan.

This isn't always as one-sided as it looks, guns work better at a range, but once those swords close the gap they are deadly in the hands of experience samurai.

For starters, the mechanics are still the same, yet very different in the overall feel and dynamic.  Where Shogun 2 generally forced you to pick between vast peasant units, or smaller elite units, now there’s another element involved: modern or traditional.  That isn’t to say that shogun supporters HAVE to limit themselves to traditional units, they have modern weapons as well.  However, one of the key elements to using modern units is how your clan develops.  Tokugawa supporters are more geared towards traditional units, and their most efficient military consists of less-advanced units.  Clans that build a lot of military academies to train modern infantry advance their clan development, but this also angers the populace as you change local government and culture to a more Western-style, but it also opens up trade with these nations, and allows you to gain more income through trade, and use their agents to train your troops and advance your technology.

These aren't the little wooden rafts you used to control, and they have cannons.

Diplomacy was… Well almost a joke in the original game, with you barely needing to use it, and the realm divide making you wonder why you ever bothered in the first place.  This has been changed a great deal in Fall of the Samurai.  It is very difficult to get ahead by being a solely military power, and you’ll find enemies nipping at your heels all the while, and they will find ways to agitate you.  Enemies make more effective use of navies, even landing armies behind your borders and tearing up the countryside to damage your economy if they don’t take your territory altogether.  The realm divide has also been changed, with you becoming the “vanguard” of your respective side: shogun or emperor.  By doing this, all the other factions that share your loyalty will rally behind you, further solidifying their allegiance, generally.  However, you also have the option of going it alone, declaring both to be unworthy of ruling, and declaring your intention of conquering Japan for yourself.  While this might sound tempting, you will have all but your most loyal allies turn on you. 

Gatling guns take a while to build up to, and they might not be all that impressive at first, but once you level them up they can be devastating when properly positioned.

Naval battles are another major change, with the new Western-style ships.  You can take control of individual ships, in order to control their weapons manually, and helping you get more involved in the action.  You can also do this with cannons and Gatling guns in land battles, but you’ll find yourself having to leave them to give orders to your units more often than you would in naval battles, which have a much slower pace.  Naval units can also engage in night battles, raiding enemy fleets and ports.  However, the coolest thing is the ability to bombard enemy ground emplacements and cities with your fleets on the coast.  Fleets have a set range which is outlined when you select the unit, and if another clan’s city, port, or building is range, you can try to damage it without engaging in an actual battle.  You can also use them to support armies, being able to use 2 bombardments in per battle to support your army.  This can have a HUGE impact on a battle, allowing you to take of forces much bigger than your own by planning your naval bombardments to maximize enemy casualties and break their morale.  This element makes for some of the most exciting battles I’ve ever had in a strategy game.

Conquest has never been more entertaining.

If you know Shogun 2, then you should have a good idea what you’re in for after reading this review.  If you haven’t played the original game, then now’s as good a time as any to start.  I really loved this expansion in a way that makes it hard to go back to the original game.  The added elements of modern weapons and a more in-depth diplomacy system to make you feel like you have to play not only battlefield, but the political field as well.  If you are interested in the time period, strategy games, or you’re looking for a challenge, then this add-on should do it for you.  However, if you don’t like the genre, or the original game, then this probably won’t do much to impress you.

Good:

-Brilliant portrayal of an important time period in Japanese history.

-Expansive units that contain both traditional swords and bows, to modern muskets and Gatling guns.

-Navies are much more important, and can really make or break your clan.

-Diplomacy much more central to survival, and while you can avoid it you really want, you can benefit greatly from taking the time to use it.

Bad:

-Obviously strategy haters need not apply.

Scully Rating: 9.8 out of 10

In the news: Animes to look into

By: Robert Murphy

Link to Attack on Titan here

Link to Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet here

So recently some new animes have come out and caught my attention and as a Scully Nerd Reviews writer I felt it was rude of me not to tell you all about these fine new additions to a world we all love so much, these two new shows are “Attack on Titan” and “Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet.” Both shows have started fairly recently and we’re only a few episodes in but so far I have to say I am deeply enjoying what both have brought to the table.

Let’s start with “Attack on Titan,” the show tells the story of how for years humanity has fought against the monstrous and human like creatures known as Titans that plagued the land. Humanity could do nothing to stop these beings and retreated behind giant walls to protect them from being devoured and while humanity still tries to strike back against the Titans, they have no success against them. I would like to take a minute also to explain just how humanity is trying to fight against the Titans because frankly it’s awesome, being that these creatures are monolithic in size humanity needs a way to strike hard, high and fast against them and they find the perfect way. Using a gas propelled zip line machines humanity soars through the air, provided there is something to grapple onto that is, moving swiftly as the machines allow fighters to get high up as they try to take down Titans. The setting for the show focuses on our protagonist Eren Yeager as he and his family lives in peace behind Wall Maria and all seems well until he witnesses a Titan like no other towers over the wall and destroys it, this sets the pace for our story as everything Eren knows is taken from him, he makes a vow to kill every last Titan no matter what it takes. The story so far has completely grabbed my attention since the first episode and features something unlike what I’ve seen from the anime world thus far with giant lumbering creatures, a unique story, exciting combat and amazing animation there is a lot to love about “Attack on Titan” and it’s only just started.

Moving onto “Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet” a story that takes a long step away from “Attack on Titan,” we follow along with Ledo who is a solider for the Galactic Alliance of Humankind and is fighting the battle against the plant-like alien species known as the Hideauze. And while the initial battle isn’t over the top as robot mechs fight it out against the Hideauze, we lead into the hook of the show as Ledo is separated from his squad and ends up stranded on an unknown planet. Coming out of unconsciousness six months later Ledo is surrounded by the inhabitants of the planet who do not speak his language and are trying to break into his mech. And despite their best efforts, which were essentially pounding on the side of it, they couldn’t open it and finally give in and when they do Ledo tries to escape. However as he escapes and explores the planet he realizes that he is on Earth which hasn’t been seen by anyone in years and the shear site of it is awe inspiring for him and we watch as it all unfolds.

Now, do my bidding and go to the links above to watch these awesome shows, haha just kidding but seriously the shows are very enjoyable and I hope you all take the opportunity to watch the shows and watch to see what happens for Eren and Ledo. 

√Bestamvsofalltime ▪ Revenge AMV

Creator - Evilspider

Song: Cells - The Servant

Today's AMV is based on the series Cowboy Bebop and is unique in the sense that it tries to set its own story.  It uses the existing scenes and characters in the series to make a different story from the one fans are familiar with.  This unique spin gives you a reason to actually sit down and watch the video, and gives you something besides the regular mash-up of scenes.  The song is really catchy too, fitting the overall tone that the original series had.  All in all, a solid AMV that takes a few bold moves; and while it could have used some better effects (altered scenes look clearly altered), I still think that this was a great AMV that does a great job of taking a few creative leaps of faith, and I think it paid off.

Highschool of the Dead Act 30

By: Robert Murphy

Read manga here: http://www.mangapanda.com/high-school-of-the-dead/30

Well it’s been a long time coming but we finally have got our hands on the latest manga chapter of “Highschool of the Dead” and I bet some of you may need a little recap of what happened last time we left off. Before the two year break in the series we left our group of zombie killing teens as they head to Takashi and Rei’s old neighborhood to see if any of their family made it through the never ending waves of undead. I found myself chuckling at the humor all over again of “Highschool of the Dead” as I re-read the last chapter and it reminded me of why I love the series so much. The group seems to be running in quite a bit of trouble as the small enclosed residential area where they searched made it difficult to avoid zombies and caused some problems along the way. One such problem occurs for Rei and Takashi as some of these un-dead were their friends and neighbors making it hard on them, despite all they’ve been through. A bit of good fortune finally comes though as Rei is reunited with her mother and after the quick moment of happiness she tells them that the local school has people ready under protection of the police and are about to be rescued and this is where we pick up in Act 30. Fear and chaos are always spread even when people are somewhat safe panic can still spread and make people turn on one another in desperation to cling to life. This a theme of this chapter as the safe people protected in the school still are in fear of those around them with the tiniest hint of injury that could be zombie related, paranoia also spreads among people in fear as everyone questions their government and the police that protect them. Much of the chapter revolves around this with initially not much attention made towards our main characters, luckily the chapters are long for “Highschool of the Dead” and we do see them fight and make their way by the end. So everyone jump on in and find out what unfolds and I hope you enjoy Act 30.  

Eden of the East

By: Robert Murphy

We open on the story with a young girl by the name of Saki Morimi who is outside of the White House, throwing change at it (get it) only to quickly find herself in a bit of trouble with some officers nearby who saw her throw something at the White House. Close by we find our other main character, Akira Takizawa who is butt naked with nothing but a gun in his hand, a mysterious phone with access to huge amounts of money and no memory of how he got to where he is. The two quickly meet and after a series of misunderstandings and confusing events, the two start to slowly get to know each other more and Akira himself tries to figure out what happened to him and how he’s involved in a recent terrorist act known as Careless Monday, which involved ten missile strikes on six major Japanese cities.

 Love at first site

Right from the get go in “Eden of the East” you are laughing and hooked on the strangeness of what is going on in the story as Akira swaggers around with his junk out (don’t worry its blurred out, but still funny as hell to watch). And if all that didn’t get you loving this guy, then the rest of the show certainly will, throughout the show Akira is a constant riot even when facing down the many serious obstacles he must confront in the story, he remains a warm and engaging character. This man has no past and you spend almost the entirety of the story following along as Akira tries to put together what happened to him before he lost all his memories. As for our leading lady, Saki is a hard character to get a good feel for at first as she follows around Akira, a man who she just met and somehow has an unbelievably strong attachment to. While she isn’t an annoying or necessarily bad character, she just feels more like a sore thumb sticking out in the story but she does make her way into the story eventually and becomes a more solid character.

 Mysterious cell phone that Akira and others in the game have

The rest of the supporting cast are Saki’s friends who all are part of a small corporation they started known as “Eden of the East” that is a sort of social networking website where people talk and interact but also get to know each other just by having a picture of the person you want to know about can lead you to learning everything about that person. The group is somewhat of a rag tag assortment of characters, the most enjoyable of whom would have to be Yutaka Itazu, a plump and reclusive hacker and Mikuru Katsuhara the shy and frank little girl who does most of the programming work for the Edan club. While others, like Satoshi Ōsugi, who has a huge love crush on Saki and hates Akira for the affection Saki has towards him, makes for a very annoying character. The last of the group, Kazuomi Hirasawa and "Sis", whose never given a real name, are somewhat bland characters who blend in with the wood work but have their moments in the spotlight that make them decent characters.

The series itself starts viewers off in the dark, leaving you to figure out together bits and pieces of Akira's past on your own.  He eventually does, with sparse information along the way, leading you on to fulfilling the puzzle involving his past. Along the way, Akira will meet other people playing a certain "game" involving the phone he had on him when you first meet Akira. Some of these people are good, some are bad, and some don’t really give a damn one way or another, and are enjoying the money and power the phones bestow upon them. Also along the way, he shares some tender moments with Saki who has a story of her own concerning family and employment, which links together to Akira's story through “Eden of the East” club with her and her friends. And despite the short run time “Eden of the East” pulls no punches in the story telling as you are pulled into the mystery of what happened to Akira in his past, what are the mysterious phones all about and what is this “game” that Akira and others are all wrapped up in? Wow that’s a mouthful and as you can see it is a lot to take and enjoy as well.

 The Eden Club

“Eden of the East” is a highly enjoyable show to watch from beginning to end and aside from the slow buildup of Saki and the annoying Ōsugi, I have not a lot of bad things to say about the show. It is disappointing how short the show is when there is so much more that could be done with the series but the show does get closer in the two movies that it has, "The King of Eden," and "Paradise Lost." Also, you cannot go wrong with a character like Akira, who makes the show an all-around laugh and a gripping experience for those of you looking for a show that will grab your attention all the way till the end.

Good:

-Akira is an amazing and solid character

-A unique and griping story from beginning to end

-Short story but makes up for it with the two concluding movies

Bad:

-Slow character development on the main character, Saki, as well as a few other unimpressive characters

Scully Rating: 9.0 out of 10

In the News: Highschool of the Dead Manga

By: Robert Murphy

Hey all you “Highschool of the Dead” fans, have I got some good news for all of you who have eagerly awaited the next manga chapter to the series. As many of you may or may not know, the manga had come to a stop after the writer, Daisuke Satō, went on a hiatus for the past two years but hey, he had a lot on his plate with his work on games, novels and other manga. As a big fan of not only the show, but the manga, I personally, as well as a few other Scullynerdreview staff members are excited to see the manga getting another chapter and hey more chapters getting done will get us closer to a second season of “HoTD”. The chapter is chapter 30 or Act 30 and will be available April 9^th in Japan and in digital format so it should be available for all viewers to enjoy. Hope you are all excited about the news and keep on checking on Scullynerdreviews for anime, news, games and all things nerdy. Murphy out. 

For the LOLZ

I'm sure someone can make a mod for this on the PC version.

For the LOLZ

Little bit of Mass Effect humor for the fans out there.