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[yukihime242]

I hardly talk about movies and/or TV series since this is not the type of content I want to be dominant in my blog. But having watched it just minutes ago (while writing these few lines), there are some things that I absolutely must get out of my system before I can move on with life.

So yeah, the movie I watched earlier while munching on my dinner was the live remake version of The Little Mermaid.

(Picture Source: Disney Movies thru' Google Image Search)

I must say this first. I love Disney. I love all of their movies (the ones I have watched so far). Even the live remake of the popular Disney movies were good for me.

But this? The Little Mermaid? Oh, there's a lot of things I want to say about it and it's not good.

First off, Triton's seven daughters.

(Picture Source: YouLoveIt.com thru' Google Image Search)

Forgive the picture quality because this was the only picture I could find that featured all seven daughters.

Anyway, yes, the seven daughters of Triton. THEY DON'T EVEN LOOK A LIKE!

No, I am not talking about the father to daughter likeness, I am talking about how they don't even look alike to each other. I can get past the mermaids being black, because, you know, Triton may had a black wife in this version? BUT WHO IS THAT ASIAN MERMAID??? TRITON HAD AN AFFAIR??

And don't even get me started on their names! What happened to their names?! Who is MALA???

Secondly, the emotions. God! I feel like I am watching Kristen Stewart in her Twilight movies. Emotionless. Ariel does not even looked upset. She doesn't even looked like she's in love.

Thirdly, THAT PLOT TWIST OF ERIC BEING ADOPTED?? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?! I mean, I get it, the producers were trying to fill in the plot holes, like where was Eric's parents in the animated movie. But of all of the possibilities, like perhaps his parents died, y'all went with the he's adopted?? WHY??

And the other change they did. Ursula being Triton's sister?? HELLO?? DID NOBODY WATCH THE SECOND ANIMATED MOVIE? Ursula is not Triton's sister! Ursula had a younger sister! Can't you all just go with the "she committed a crime so she was exiled" story?!

Finally, the highlights of the movie were DISAPPOINTING.

For instance, in Poor Unfortunate Souls. They omitted Ursula telling Ariel that body language exist for a reason.

(Picture Source: IGN thru' Google Image Search)

Guys, that is the most crucial moment of convincing Ariel that communication still works! Oh, wait, she didn't even question it *facepalms*

Another one was Triton bestowing Ariel with legs.

Funny thing is that when I tried to search for that scene on Google, all it gave me was the animated version. Even Google could not bear to give me the live version scene.

To give you guys a recap, Triton was bobbing up and down in the water as if he was drowning while trying to give Ariel legs. What happen to trying to do CGI magic to let him rise above water so that a merman doesn't look like he's drowning in water?

I don't even know what I am talking about anymore but this whole movie was a disaster! I can see why people are so upset with the live version.

The only thing that was accurate was the dog.

(Picture Source: in my mind your melody goes on. - Tumblr thru' Google Image Search)

[yukihime242]

There are a few reasons that I love about Genshin patches, but these two takes the cake:

I get to see if my previous theories about certain parts of the stories are true; and

More speculations to come!

So, yep, in this post, I am gonna list down all, if not most, of the speculations I have that has yet to come to pass. It is going to be a long ride, so buckle up!

I also must declare that speculations are speculations, meaning they are just unconfirmed theories.

1️⃣ Hutao and her mysterious Sesame Oil

(Picture Source: Game Crater thru' Google Image Search)

It has been mentioned in the previous Lantern Rite and this year's Lantern Rite that Hutao sent Zhongli out to purchase some Sesame Oil. This errand also had Xiao stumped. Like, why would a Director of a Funeral Parlor need Sesame Oil every Lantern Rite?

Even Zhongli is not sure of why Hutao wanted Sesame Oil. While it has been "cleared up" that she uses it for the mixed vegetables, there could be another reason for it. I mean, it could be purely just Xiangling suggesting it but even Zhongli is speculating about this.

I think we will get our answer in next year's Lantern Rite.

2️⃣ Mondstadt's Port

(Picture Source: Yahoo News Singapore thru' Google Image Search)

Once again, it has been mentioned in last year's Lantern Rite and in this year's Lantern Rite that Mondstadt has a port of its own, called Dornman Port. If you are wondering if this port exist, you can count on the Sumeru characters to confirm that it surely does exist in the latest cooking event.

However, Dornman Port is currently not located anywhere on the map. And after about 3 years, we hardly had any further region expansions in Mondstadt.

Although I said that speculations are speculations, this particular one is definitely going to come true, though I am not sure when it will happen. That is, Mondstadt will have its deserved region expansion to include Dornman Port.

The first reason why this will definitely happen is in the point above, that Dornman Port exist and the developers need to put it somewhere on the map. Second reason is because Fontaine is said to be in the middle of Teyvat. In other words, it is surrounded by other nations (more or less).

(Picture Source: Screenshot from Hoyoverse's Teyvat Interactive Map)

As you can see in the screenshot above, Mondstadt is not "touching" Fontaine. If Fontaine is to be in the middle of Teyvat, then it makes sense to have another regional expansion for Mondstadt. That expansion probably will include more areas that has yet to be mentioned in any of Mondstadt's lore (or the Dandelion Sea).

It could also be the new expansion for this year's Summer Event.

3️⃣ Inazuma's Regional Expansion

(Picture Source: Screenshot from Hoyoverse's Teyvat Interactive Map)

Admittedly, this was speculated by my sister. Her reason as to why there will be an Inazuma expansion is because of Itto. According to her, Itto mentioned his hometown and there is a likelihood of an expansion featuring Itto's home island.

(Picture Source: PCGamesN thru' Google Image Search)

While I'd say that her speculation is not a bad one, I think the stronger reason would be the passage between Sumeru's Port Ormos and Inazuma.

Granted, anybody trying to get in or out of Inazuma need to sail by boat. It has been mentioned before that in order for the people of Inazuma to reach Sumeru is by sail. However, there has been no clear passage between Port Ormos and Inazuma on the map.

Another possible reason as to why Hoyoverse may want to expand Inazuma's region could be because the land of eternity has finally opened its doors to other nations. Ritou is the only port working for Inazuma but I think it would be too overwhelming that they may need to open another port, possibly to cater to Sumeru and other nations towards the west.

4️⃣ Traveler meeting their Twin

(Picture Source: TheGamer thru' Google Image Search)

We definitely had our wild ride about our Abyssal Twin. The last time we met them physically face-to-face was in the second Abyss Order/Dainsleif Story Quest. That's... quite a long time ago...

I also did a theory on the Fontaine Twins to support my notion of the Traveler meeting their Twin again. While it's obvious that that theory of mine did not come to pass, it did come true in some sense. For instance, I speculated that we may have a "five-member" party, due to Lyney and Lynette being twins. That is that they would be introduced as one package, taking up only one slot in the party list, and we can exchange between Lyney and Lynette during the game without compromising the other three members of the party.

I also admitted that it was a ridiculous theory but hey, Hoyoverse actually did do something similar with my ridiculous theory. And that something (or someone) is Furina.

Anyway, that's not the point of this pointer. I speculated that we will meet our Abyssal Twin again face-to-face before the final showdown. I mean, the story has been pointing towards battling against our Twin at the end, which is what I meant as the final showdown. I have a feeling that we will meet our Abyssal Twin again before that.

It has been a very long time since we last saw them physically, and I think it is time for Hoyoverse to bring that Twin in as a little "change" to the mundane story outline. So far, all we have been doing is bump into Dainsleif, investigate some ruins, Traveler getting perspective on the history of the Abyss, and that's it. Dainsleif being like "we will meet again" and just whooshes off to who-knows-where.

(GIF Source: Anime Screencaps and Gifs Dumps - Tumblr thru' Google Image Search)

The Abyss storyline is getting kind of boring, in my opinion, and we have like two more regions to go? That would mean two more Abyssal story quests with the same story outline.

I think Hoyoverse needs to give us something interesting from the Abyssal storyline, such as MEETING OUR TWIN PHYSICALLY AGAIN. I think it would also give our poor Traveler some form of "closure" and have some time to talk things out with what little time they have before the Twin disappears again.

5️⃣ Wanderer travelling to Inazuma and meeting a few notable people

(Picture Source: Pinterest thru' Google Image Search)

The fact that Hoyoverse threw out this wallpaper seems to be indicating that Wanderer will be visiting Inazuma some time in the future. While I am optimistic about that, I am also wondering if this wallpaper is just another decorative piece of art.

Still, it doesn't hurt to hope that Wanderer will visit Inazuma again. Although he keeps claiming to be a prisoner of Sumeru, Nahida does not really see him as that and actually tries to integrate him back to society. Heck, she even forced him to have a birthday party with his classmates.

(Picture Source: battleonthebigbridge on Tumblr thru' Google Image Search)

If Wanderer ever returned to Inazuma, it could be one of the two things. Either he was forced by Nahida to go visit his hometown, or he was forced by Nahida to tag along for some cultural exchange program.

Regardless of how he would be forced to go to Inazuma, I think the one thing I am hoping for is for his interaction with a few notable people. The first being Yae Miko and Ei. I mean, although he technically erased his existence from Irminsul, it does not change the fact that Yae Miko and Ei is aware of his existence. Ei definitely created a puppet, and Yae Miko is aware of this fact, but what changed in the history is something that is unclear.

(Picture Source: Rock Paper Shotgun thru' Google Image Search)

Another reason why I am hoping that there would be an interaction for Wanderer is because of Kazuha.

Now, a little history lesson. Kazuha is the descendant of Niwa, the man who was very close to Wanderer back when he was still Kunikuzushi. Despite Wanderer's change in demeanor and attitude, it was obvious that he still holds Niwa close to his heart, given how he constantly spares the lives of Niwa's descendants and even keeps track of what they are doing.

However, after changing history, the story of the Raiden Gokuden had also changed drastically. Kazuha is only aware of the fact that some bloke (not Wanderer) went crazy and killed almost every blacksmith in Inazuma. Wanderer explicitly requested us to give the Raiden Gokuden the true version, but even having met Kazuha after, there was no indication of us doing that.

I believe there is going to be an interaction between Kazuha and Wanderer, and possibly the revelation of the true events of what actually happened to the Raiden Gokuden.

6️⃣ Zhongli visiting Mondstadt

(Picture Source: MaxLevel on YouTube thru' Google Image Search)

I think we can all agree on one thing. WE WANT MORE INTERACTION BETWEEN ZHONGLI AND VENTI!

Anyway, we have seen Venti coming to Liyue to celebrate last year's Lantern Rite, and host a poetry event between Liyue and Mondstadt. Zhongli made his appearance in both events and the interactions between them is ever hilarious.

I think what many would want to see is Zhongli visiting Mondstadt in return for one of the events and Venti having to host him instead. That would be so awesome!

Now, I know that Zhongli had visited Mondstadt before, such as the time we were preparing for the Rite of Descension, and the time we were bartenders for the day. And even so, he had visited Mondstadt on a few more occasions where, according to Venti, "he ordered a cup of hot tea with most complex name".

But I think it would be best to have him visit Mondstadt during one of its festive periods, like Windblume, or Wine-something-fest. I think it would be great to see both Zhongli and Venti interacting in Mondstadt setting.

7️⃣ Neuvillette meeting the other archons

(Picture Source: Destructoid thru' Google Image Search)

Neuvillette has a very hostile opinion about the archons, though I am not sure what he truly felt towards the hydro archon. I mean, towards the end, he was actually mourning for the death of the hydro archon. He also seems to care for Furina a lot prior to her dethrone.

It makes more sense that he cares for Furina now since she is no longer the hydro archon and has never been one after learning the truth, and that he retains his hostile opinion towards the other archons.

I think I need to do his story quest to understand what the heck is going on...

Anyway, Neuvillette and Zhongli almost met during the Lantern Rite festival and many were wondering what would happen if they actually met. Possibly a tsunami and earthquake will occur...

But given that he is now the ruling leader of Fontaine, I think it is inevitable that he would need to meet up with the other currently ruling archons, such as Ei and Nahida. There is possibly one in planning now due to Neuvillette and Ayato striking a deal to have some cultural exchange between their two nations.

I think at that time, a tsunami and a thunderstorm will occur...

=================

Okay, I think that's all I can think of for now. I may have missed some but I think the post is very long to the point that I think I lost some of you guys already.

Hooray if you made it this far!

[yukihime242]

I know the public holiday of Chinese New Year (CNY) is over, but it actually isn't officially over. For brief context, CNY lasts 15 days. Tomorrow is the last day and I thought to quickly do a cluster anime review featuring 🐉DRAGONS🐉.

I have to clarify that the dragons don't necessarily have to be the main characters. If there's a scene featuring them, then it's enough to be on this list.

Also, 🚨SPOILERS🚨 as usual.

1️⃣ Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

(Picture Source: My Media Chops thru' Google Image Search)

This anime talks about Tohru, the larger human in the picture above, deciding to become Kobayashi's personal maid as a way to thank her for saving her life. It is also a one-sided romance (on the dragon's part).

It is more of a slice-of-life anime as we witness Tohru and Kobayashi living together, with Kobayashi being the sole breadwinner of this weird family, and Tohru being the "housewife" of this weird family.

The only reason I would watch this without any complains is because of Kanna. That little white girl in the picture above, she is insanely adorable.

Anyway, all of this is based on memory since I watched this quite some time ago. But I do not have any adverse reactions to this anime so I'd say it's worth a watch. If nothing else, do it for Kanna!

Rating: 8⭐/10

2️⃣ Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest

(Picture Source: Epicstream thru' Google Image Search)

This anime started out as super violent, but it eventually died down to be meh.

Arifureta talks about a class being teleported to another world. The main protagonist, Hajime, was betrayed by a classmate... technically being pushed by a classmate, and fell deep into the dungeons. There, he met his first harem wife, Yue, a vampire princess who was betrayed by her own kind as well.

Together, they cleared the dungeon and made it out alive, and along the way, Hajime gathered more comrades like collection to his ever growing harem. Because of what he had to do to survive in the dungeon, he became ridiculously strong.

Now, it seems like an interesting anime but the action seems to have died down a lot ever since Hajime surfaced to the world above. As mentioned earlier, Hajime was gathering allies, but it felt more like he was collecting more women to add to his harem collection. I know this is the author's intention, but seriously, can't we just have one anime that doesn't focus on this kind of thing?

I am not saying that it is a bad anime; on the contrary, it is a good anime. Just that it is getting annoying that anime authors decided to focus more on other things than the plot of the story. Plus, the one ick I have about this anime is that his own teacher fell in love with him.

Rating: 6.5⭐/10

3️⃣ Yuusha Party wo Tsuihou sareta Beast Tamer, Saikyoushu no Nekomimi Shoujo to Deau

(Picture Source: https://i.imgur.com/EFjLqcr.png on Google Search)

It has been a while since this anime got any updates.

Rein Shroud, the beast tamer in the series, was kicked out by the hero's party because he was deemed useless. In fact, he was never regarded highly in the party as the rest of the hero's party members felt that his skill would not be useful in battle. As a result, he got kicked out of the party.

While many may mope and cry about it, Rein was actually happy about it. He went on a journey to become an adventurer himself, met many new friends and was able to gather an array of strong beasts.

It is quite a cozy anime to watch and I would recommend giving this a whirl.

Rating: 8⭐/10

[yukihime242]

Would there ever be a chance of Fischl, Mona and Wanderer meeting again?

(Picture Source: Inverse thru' Google Image Search)

Players who played the 1.1 event, Unreconciled Stars, would know that that was the trio's official first meeting. There were some changes to the storyline afterwards as the event was "literally" time-limited.

(Picture Source: Forbes thru' Google Image Search)

When meeting Mona outside of Liyue in her story quest, 1.1 players would witness Mona and the Traveler exchanged greetings warmly as that was not their first time meeting each other. On the other hand, players who did not play the 1.1 event would see the two characters exchanging salutations politely as that would be their first time meeting each other.

The only plot hole in this is that Fischl and Mona grew close to each other throughout the series.

(Picture Source: lkcatcher on Reddit thru' Google Image Source)

The "plot hole" I meant was there was no explanation as to why they grew closer. For 1.1 players, they know the reason why, but for non-1.1 players, it could be an eyebrow raising question, though I'd admit it is not very concerning.

This minor change made players appreciate the company for paying attention to the little details. However, such changes was not seen again until fairly recently.

After Hoyoverse release a new sub-region in Liyue ahead of Lantern Rite, some players jumped at the opportunity to explore and experience the new region.

(Picture Source: Reno Gazette Journal thru' Google Image Search)

It was only during the Lantern Rite quest that players saw the same changes again. This time, if players had played the Chenyu Vale world quest prior to Lantern Rite, players would observe that the Traveler would not disappear in front of Gaming. On the other hand, if players did not activate the world quest prior to Lantern Rite, the Traveler would disappear in front of Gaming.

With this new discovery of the subtle changes, it begs the question again.

Will Mona, Fischl, and Wanderer meet each other again?

Of course, both Mona and Fischl would likely have forgotten ever meeting Wanderer, but since Wanderer chose to receive his own memories, then he definitely remembers meeting them in the 1.1 event.

(Picture Source: Trashy-Kun on YouTube thru' Google Image Search)

Moreover, the subtle change in the Lantern Rite quest regarding entering Chenyu Vale has shown that Hoyoverse is capable of creating a storyline that differs depending on your past deeds (i.e., played the 1.1 event, or did not play the 1.1 event).

In my opinion, that would be a great storyline to follow if the trio were to ever meet again.

[yukihime242]

I am quite surprise that nobody talks about this. I don't see anything on the other social media platforms I am on and it is actually worth considering...

Well, probably in my opinion, it is worth talking about it.

Up to now, we know that the Traveler is the only person in the game that is able to wield two elements NATURALLY.

I have to strongly emphasize on the word "naturally" because I know the Fatui wield two elements as well, but one of them is a delusion, so, no, those aren't counted.

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact Wiki - Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

Back to the point, the Traveler is able to wield more than one element. But there is a certain someone that most likely is able to do that.

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact on X thru' Google Image Search)

Yes, Scara, or Wanderer, or Hat Guy, or whatever name you call him by. THIS person has the possibility of wielding two elements at the same time.

Now, I must preface that I may have missed an important note or dialogue but the human brain is not capable of storing every single detail... But just hear me out.

We know Scara from his rampaging days as The Balladeer. We also know that he wielded the element Electro then. I mean, though he practically never showed it, it was only in a particular scene in the Sumeru Archon quest that we finally saw a glimpse of Scara's powers. No, I'm not talking about the robot.

(Picture Source: Acesheep on YouTube thru' Google Image Search)

Afterwards, we defeated him in his Gundam form and we never saw him wielding his electro powers again. The next time we saw him use his powers, he was already using the anemo.

So, here begs the question.

Scara was granted the anemo vision and is able to wield the anemo element. However, his electro powers came from his mother I suppose? It's not like he could flip the switch and his electro powers are totally gone.

(Picture Source: MaxLevel on YouTube thru' Google Image Search)

Does it mean that while he is now using the anemo element, he's suppressing his electro powers? If so, then that means he is the second character we know that is actually wielding two elements.

I don't know... I think this is a question that Hoyoverse needs to answer. I don't mind having a Wanderer Story Quest to answer this question but Hoyoverse, this is something that we need to know...

[yukihime242]

It is another few days to the end of the month and it is time to create some new goals for my games. Most of their deadlines is around the end of January, so I thought why not start a new one now?

It is sad to say that most of my games did not meet the goal I set previously. But it's a lesson to be learned when creating the new goals for the next round. Moreover, it was my first time setting a goal.

So, in this new goal setting, it would be a span of about 5 months, until end June. The reason is because July is the start of the new school semester and I would very much like to deal with my games as much as possible. Another reason is also because I want to make it easier to track my goals by making it a half-yearly goal.

Anyway, let's get on to it.

1️⃣ Genshin Imapct

(Picture Source: Epic Games thru' Google Image Search)

The previous goal I set was to hit 20% fully built characters out of the 74 characters I have. Unfortunately, I did not hit it, partly because I was sick and couldn't bring myself to opening the game to farm.

Another possibility could be due to the lack of time in trying to farm all of the materials required, especially the weekly boss drops. With that lesson learned, it's time to put it into the next goal.

From February to June 2024, there is about 17 weeks. Each character has three talents to upgrade. Each talent, starting from the level where it is necessary to have the weekly boss drops, requires about 6 boss materials (I'm excluding level 10). In total, that would be about 18 boss materials I need to get for one character within the 17 weeks... Well, the odds are stacked against me, ain't it? 😅

Since this is the case, I am going to stick to the 20% goal, but this time, out of 79 characters (including the Lantern Rite characters). Hopefully, miracles will happen during this 5 months....

Goal: Achieve 20% fully built characters out of a total of 79 characters owned by end June 2024.

2️⃣ Honkai Star Rail

(Picture Source: IGN thru' Google Image Search)

HSR's goals was not achieved due to my mistake. After passing the final ascension trial, I went back to start ascending my characters to the max level, hence, not being able to meet the goal of having a fully built team of all elements by end January.

For the new goal, it's going to be the same. But I am going to put in a condition. As everyone playing HSR knows, there are two types of relics. One is those you get from the domains in the open world, and the other two are actually from the Simulated Universe. Currently, my characters are not strong enough to go through more difficult Simulated Universe (SU) worlds and I am largely depending on two basic SU relics to sustain my characters.

Because of that, I have decided to do a once every three days of farming the SU relics, Open World relics, and the character's necessary materials to level up. It should be faster than Genshin since the worlds and domains are open on a daily basis.

Goal: Have 9 fully built characters, not necessarily having the proper SU relics, with each element in a team by end June 2024.

=====================

For now, these will be my two goals. I may post another update and include another goal for another game. The reason I am not including it here is because I have yet to tally up the final figures to create a goal for it.

[yukihime242]

Today, we are going to be looking at anime with Mafia-themes. This also includes the Japanese version, Yakuza, since most of the anime are happening in Japan.

Let's get on to it! Also, 🚨SPOILERS🚨.

1️⃣ Nisekoi

(Picture Source: IMDb thru' Google Image Search)

This is one anime I have watched a long time ago and it was also an anime that is not exactly high on my list. It talks about Raku and Chitoge, both the children of a Yakuza and Mafia family respectively, being engaged to each other for the sake of peaceful living in the same town.

Despite them disliking each other, Raku and Chitoge tends to lean to each other for emotional support as they were the only ones who knew and understood perfectly well how difficult it was to bond with the class without them having to fear they were from a Yakuza or Mafia family.

I honestly don't like this anime, but at the same time it's not that I hate this anime. I guess because the series itself was very long and it was beginning to become a big bore. It was getting very typical and cliche. Raku, just by being himself, started to have many girls fawning over him as the series goes on.

However, I guess the big question is who was the girl that Raku promised to when they were both children? It was a major cliff-hanger and there was no conclusion to it in the anime. Naturally, I didn't want to sit through another season, if there were any, and so I googled the answer. Of course I am not going to say it here even though I did say "Spoilers".

Anyway, despite me not being a big fan of this series, it was actually very popular back then. So, I guess it is worth a watch? I do remember Chitoge being a big baby when she lost the hair scarf her mother bought for her.

Rating: 6⭐/10

2️⃣ Arcana Famiglia

(Picture Source: Parallax Play thru' Google Image Search)

Anybody who watched Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) and have watched this anime would definitely ask the same question: "Ciel, what the heck are you doing in this anime?" 😂

Anyway, this is an adaptation from the otome game of the same title. The protagonist, Felicita, is the daughter and heiress to the renowned Cartel. The group of men, and boys, are members of the Cartel and they go around helping the family business, such as the Casino, and even help maintain peace in the town.

So the entire anime is about Felicita being offered up as a bride to the Cartel by her father, which understandably angered her. She decided to go great lengths into proving that she does not need a husband to take over the family. Throughout the anime, you will get to see Felicita observing the every day lives of the Cartel members and also joining them in their jobs. There, she grew to understand them better and also garnered support for her cause.

One thing that awed me in this anime, which can be weird to say, is the way the animators animate Felicita's hair in terms of movement. That is the most realistic hair movement I have seen in any anime setting. It was as though the animators working on this anime remembered that gravity exists for hair as well.

Okay, I know, it's weird... But putting Felicita's hair aside, it is actually quite a nice anime to watch. It does not have the romance genre in it despite it being adapted from its game counterpart, and it gives off a sense of family warmth. Another thing about this anime is that half of its episodes have a post-credit scene and those are hilarious.

Rating: 8⭐/10 (No, it's not because of the hair, I swear)

3️⃣ The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting

(Picture Source: Anime Feminist thru' Google Image Search)

A fairly recent anime where it shows a Yakuza henchman taking care of his boss's young daughter. It is a very cute anime where the Yakuza struggles to care for the young mistress' daily needs.

There isn't really much to talk about in this anime because it is just as it is. A yakuza babysitting his boss's daughter.

All I can say is that it is a highly recommended anime to watch, and it will make you smile from ear to ear as you watch it.

Rating: 9⭐/10

4️⃣ Katekyou Hitman Reborn

(Picture Source: DualShockers thru' Google Image Search)

This is one anime I have watched way before Nisekoi. I can't remember all of their names, but I do remember that the orange, light blue, and dark purple guys in the picture above were schoolmates.

Anyway, based on memory, the orange guy, also the main protagonist, was the heir to some mafia family. Just happened that his family migrated to Japan and their heritage was lost in transaction. The pipsqueak guy flew all the way to Japan to prep and teach the orange all he needs to know to take over the mafia family business.

This was also a very long series. I think apart from Bleach, this was another long series I actually finished. I can't remember most of the series but it was filled with lots of actions and fighting. I do remember that there was an arc where the band of misfits above got sucked into a time travelling issue. They ended up in an alternative universe where the mafia family were still trying to fight against the organisation that caused the "destruction" to the world of something. I also remembered some bloke in the anime saying that the timeline we were watching was the only one where they stood a chance of winning.

Anyway, it was quite an enjoyable anime but I wouldn't want to put myself through the long series again. Good watch overall.

Rating: 8⭐/10

[yukihime242]

If you have been following the Genshin Impact (Genshin) news lately, you would have more or less heard about the Chinese players instantly unfollowing Genshin in all of their socials, including the companies that has collaborated with Hoyoverse.

I know there are a lot of people talking about it and you'd be wondering, "is this going to be another one of those posts?"

Truthfully, I don't know because I don't really plan what I write here... The most I do is just go back and read from the top to make sure I am making sense, not unintentionally offending anybody, and editing parts that needs to be edited.

So, just humour me and join me on this wild ride, yeah?

(GIF Source: Pinterest thru' Google Image Search)

First off, for the benefit of those who are blissfully unaware of what is going on, Hoyoverse announced in their 4.4 Special Programme that they are giving away three intertwined fates and some other stuff to players for all of their support for the past three years.

I know that line is going to piss some people off already like, three? THREE? HONKAI STAR RAIL GETS A F***ING 5 STAR CHARACTER FOR FREE AND WE ONLY GET 3 INTERTWINED FATES??

(GIF Source: Giphy thru' Google Image Search)

Okay, CHILL PEOPLE CHILL!

You chose to open the "Keep Reading" so give me a chance to write something, yeah?

(GIF Source: Tenor thru' Google Image Search)

So, yeah, that is technically what people were mad about because the rewards, in Hoyoverse fashion, were stingy.

Honestly, I can understand why they decided to give three intertwined fates because, as they said, it is for the past THREE years players have been supporting the game. Seeing the link?

But of course, it is also considered injustice to, not only the players, but also the game itself.

Like I mentioned earlier, Honkai Star Rail (HSR) has a free 5-star character... not just any 5-star character, a FEATURED 5-star character... being sent out to all HSR players through the in-game mail system.

In case some of you are not HSR players and are also blissfully unaware of the significance of this terrible news, it is just like Hoyoverse giving out a free Zhongli to all Genshin players on the first year of the game's release.

Many Genshin veterans here can tell you that Genshin has never received a free featured 5-star character in the first two years of the game's release. The free characters that we keep getting are all 4-stars, and most of the time, we already have them at C6 from our attempts to get the featured 5-star banners.

Before I go any further, what I just mentioned is only part of the reason why players are so mad at Hoyoverse.

The other reason to why all of this big hoohaa is simply because of the way the message was conveyed.

I missed the Special Programme and wasn't aware of how bad it was until a Content Creator in TikTok covered this. I was aware of players unfollowing Genshin on the socials but not what the TikToker covered.

Basically, it was the way the appreciation message was delivered. At first, I thought people were just exaggerating. Just before I started writing this post, I went to search for the Special Programme and watched it.

I stand corrected.

If you would like to see that part of the Special Programme in case you, too, did not watch it or do not recall there was such an incident, I have posted the link below and it should direct you to the moment where they announced the rewards.

(Video Source: Genshin Impact on YouTube, Version 4.4 Special Program Video)

It is just like the TIkToker said in his video. There is a difference when saying "😭❤️I appreciate you guys❤️😭" and "😐I appreciate you guys😐".

Of course, we all would like to have the first one, but unfortunately, the young announcer was more towards the second one.

For the record, I don't blame him. He could have been tired, or had a bad day, and it is totally fine. I think what really pisses players off is, truthfully, the timing of everything.

This is where I get back to my previous point earlier. HSR gave out a free featured 5-star character within its first year release, and Genshin is giving out only three intertwined fates, along with some other things, as an appreciation gift for the three years support.

It is time to make a statement here, people.

Hoyoverse, it is not about the way the message was delivered. It is about the blatant favoritism you are showing through your games. We all get that Honkai Impact 3rd was the game that pulled you guys to the top and it is perfectly fine if that game has a special place in everybody's hearts in the Hoyoverse company. But it is not right to do things like this.

I'd rather Hoyoverse take back the 5-star character in HSR to make it fair across all games. To be honest, if Hoyoverse doesn't start to treat Genshin with more respect it deserves, the game is essentially going to lose a lot of players.

I have said my piece. I know Hoyoverse is never going to look at this but I really hope that they realise that what they are doing to the non-Honkai games is really creating animosity between themselves and the player-base.

Alright, so, congrats to those of you making it this far down here. I honestly think that I may have lost some of you guys half-way through the posts because it's technically the same as what everybody else is saying.

I am not going to prevent you guys from commenting or giving your opinions on the matter, but, just keep it civil, okay? 😉 Even if you don't want to, it's fine as well. I am just glad you read through the whole thing.

(GIF Source: Pinterest thru' Google Image Search)

[yukihime242]

The very first anime cluster review of the year and I want to kick-start it by doing a church-related theme review. Of course, we have the general elements such as a cathedral or church, a priest, a bishop, and some sisters.

I also need to preface that the concept of the story using the church-related theme in the anime does not reflect or represent the entire religion of Christianity. If we have that common understanding, then we shall proceed.

Also, 🚨SPOILERS🚨 are to be expected.

1️⃣ Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East (Hakkenden)

(Picture Source: Hakkenden Touhou Hakken Ibun Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

I am not entirely sure if this anime is well known or it's not a popular anime of such. I hardly hear anybody talk about this anime. The last time I saw this title was when I was scrolling through Reddit in search of anime that I may have watched previously (to jog my memory).

Anyway, this anime talks about a group of childhood friends from the same village who got caught in a freak accident that destroyed their village. Being the sole survivors, they lived in a small church together, and eventually in the big city by force. However, the story goes far beyond just a group of children living together and being taken care of by the church.

It is quite a nice anime and lots of comedic moments. I attributed it to possibly because they were childhood friends who cares deeply for each other, but I suspect there is some BL going on...

Anyway, have a go at it and honestly, I am very surprised that this is not talked more in the anime community.

Rating: 8.5 ⭐/10

2️⃣ Chrono Crusade

(Picture Source: Crunchyroll thru' Google Image Search)

Chrono Crusade follows the story of a young sister and her demon partner on their journey to eradicate evil. The young sister, Rosette, searches for her brother who was taken away by another demon. Her demon partner, Chronos, happens to have some history with the demon who took away her brother.

It is quite an old anime and to be honest, I cannot remember much about the show. All I remember was Chronos being more powerful than he gives credit for in his current form. It's not a very memorable anime but I guess I did enjoy it at some point.

Rating: 7⭐/10

3️⃣ The Qwaser of Stigmata

(Picture Source: Ranker thru' Google Image Search)

This is more of an Adult-rated anime due to a certain reason in the series plot. Basically, there is this organisation that is seemingly run by a church of sorts (based on memory) that is out to deal with an evil organisation attempting to resurrect an evil lord they worship (again, based on memory).

What I also remember was that the church have their own group of fighters, who seemingly have their own agenda but they do get the job done, that are compatible with a certain metal. For example, the white-hair guy in the picture above, he is compatible with titanium. I remember there was also a girl who fights with her robot and she is compatible with copper.

I guess why this anime made an impression on me to the point that I am able to remember some details as compared to Chrono Crusade was because of the way these fighters need to power up. Remember when I said that this anime is more of an adult-rated anime? Yeah, here comes the reason.

The fighters need to power up by drinking milk. Directly. From the breast.

Yes, let that sink in for a moment... and yes, they actually showed you the entire process of them drinking milk... and there's also a whole ass theory in the anime about why milk gives them power....

I mean, if you find this weird, I agree with you to a certain extent but comparing it with Mushoku Tensei, I'd rather watch this anime.

Rating: 6.5 ⭐/10 (it would have been below 5 stars because of how weird it is but after watching Mushoku Tensei, this anime deserves a better rating)

4️⃣ Diabolik Lovers

(Picture Source: Otaku USA Magazine thru' Google Image Search)

I know Diabolik Lovers focus more on the vampire-theme but I was really struggling to find an anime to fit the theme. This was my mistake, and moreover, I am beginning to lose track of which anime I have reviewed. I probably will be reviewing the list of anime I have reviewed.

Anyway, Diabolik Lovers talks about Yui, the girl in the picture up there and the main protagonist of the anime, being sent to a mansion filled with drop-dead-gorgeous-vampires-who-cares-nothing-more-than-drinking-her-blood-and-terrorizing-her-like-no-tomorrow by the church where she was adopted.

A couple of the vampires in the mansion may be a bit touchy touchy with her because of the way they are, but none of them goes beyond the touchy touchy. Most of them just chomps into her and drinks her blood as if she is a free-flow blood machine.

Although it is based on the otome game of the same title, the anime does not show much of the romance genre. Also, there's a season 2 where Yui was kidnapped to another mansion, and to be honest, I was kind of raging at the original vampires and Yui.

Overall, a nice anime to watch.

Rating: 8⭐/10

[yukihime242]

I know it's 13 days into the New Year but I have been beaten down with tons of things to do in office. Anyway, despite the lateness of this post, here are some things to expect for the year 2024.

First off, my anime reviews.

(Picture Source: Kokoro Japan thru' Google Image Search)

I am going to continue with my anime reviews and an upcoming one would be church-themed related. My list is ever growing but it is lesser now compared to when i first started this series.

However, my ability to watch the anime that I want to watch depends on whether they are available on the streaming platforms that I subscribed to. Still, there are enough anime to review for the next half year.

Secondly, my games.

I know addressed my games in my 2023 game reviews, including the anticipating games for 2024. However, there is so many that I need to look into which I should target first.

Firstly, I definitely will be playing Hogwarts Legacy. I have been waiting for a huge discount to the game on Steam and it finally came last year. I have yet to start but the plan for the game is to go through all four Houses, mainly for the House-exclusive quests.

Another game I am considering to take up would be Palia. Since it is advertised to be like a combination of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Pokemon, it would mean that there are tons of things to do in the game. However, given that I am still using a laptop to play, I am greatly worried about my memory space. I still have school to do deal with.

Finally, my recording of gameplays.

I have tons to record, tons to edit, and tons to upload... This is excluding that I have thumbnails to create for my YouTube. The only available time I have to do all of those is on the weekends.

I think it's high time I create a schedule that works for me and stick to it. Currently, I am just going with the flow. The only problem I see that may be a hindrance to this schedule would be last minute appointments made by my parents.

Anyway, this year is what I hope to be a fruitful year for my socials and whatnots. There will also be certain periods that I will be gone since I am going to travel overseas. It is the first family vacation in a very long time and I am very excited.

Hopefully, things will go well in this year, and that my studies would be smooth sailing so that I can graduate faster and focus on what I want to do.

[yukihime242]

It is that time of the year where I review my games played for 2023. However, this post is meant for Anticipating games for 2024. As such, if you wish to see my games played for 2023, you can go to either my Completed or Currently Playing post.

Without further ado, let's get into it!

1️⃣ Animal Crossing New Horizons

(Picture Source: GameSpot thru' Google Image Search)

Yes, I know, I played it before but I am attempting to restart the game progress. I had a major overhaul of my gaming progress because I realised that I wasn't really getting anywhere when multi-tasking some of my games.

I had planned to pick up the game after I am done with my Pokemon Scarlet gameplay. I already had a theme in mind for my island but it is kind of down to luck on the colour of my airport and such. Unlike before, i am going to take my time with the gameplay and decorating my island. I mean, there's only so much I can do in one day...

2️⃣ Hogwarts Legacy

(Picture Source: Fanatical thru' Google Image Search)

Hogwarts Legacy is one of my most anticipated games. While I have the means to buy it and play it anytime, I wasn't willing to fork out a huge sum of money... I gotta eat too, you know. Hence, the big discount finally came though it was strangely not part of the Black Friday sale.

While I am eager to start on this game soon, I am also quite concern about my memory space in my laptop. Anyway, I have every intention to play through all four houses. I know the story is the same but there are differences to some of the other quests too.

The only quest that I am not looking forward to, which I saw on TikTok months ago, is the one with the mannequins in a dark room. I think I most likely will be playing happy songs just so that I can sleep peacefully at night after that quest...

3️⃣ Palia

(Picture Source: Nintendo thru' Google Image Search)

From what I have seen so far, Palia is like a mix between Pokemon, Animal Crossing, and Stardew Valley. Pokemon mainly because you get to catch animals, I guess? And for Animal Crossing is because you get to decorate your own piece of land, and Stardew Valley because there's farming.

It's really your typical slice-of-life game except it threw in the fantasy genre too. I am quite eager to start playing it but my memory space isn't cutting it. However, it is still quite high up on my list of games to play.

That's probably it for now. I do have other games I want to play but probably not at this moment. The list above is just a glimpse of the games that i highly wish to play. I may or may not post regular updates about them since it is quite tiring to keep up with both Genshin and Honkai Star Rail.

[yukihime242]

It is at that time of the year where I review my games played and is still currently playing for the year. This is the post for the Currently Playing games, so if you are wanting to see my opinions for other games, you can visit either my Completed or Anticipating posts.

Now, on to the Currently Playing games!

1️⃣ Genshin Impact

(Picture Source: Pocket Tactics thru' Google Image Search)

I will keep this short because it is one of the games that I constantly update about on.

Yes, it's also no surprise that this game is still in my currently playing list. The story of the game is getting more and more interesting as we are very deep into the lore at this point. Many players are now finding out whether or not their age old theories are coming true. And because we are deep into the lore, many of the questions we have from the beginning of the game are also being answered in some aspect.

There isn't much for me to say at this point because I am working very hard on my characters and trying to build them up. The other thing about the game I need to catch up on is the event story and my exploration of the regions. I also have other world quests that I have yet to complete so that is quite a pile for me to take on.

2️⃣ Honkai Star Rail

(Picture Source: IGN thru' Google Image Search)

I know I hardly talk about this game but it is also in the same basket as Genshin. So while I have not caught up to the current events, I am quite grateful that the game has set aside the events I have yet to play in a separate folder and I can visit it whenever I am free to do so.

Anyway, just like Genshin, I am focused on building up my characters in the game. The great thing about it is, due to the battle mechanics, it is easy for me to know what to focus on. But it can also get quite boring because there isn't really a "picking at your brains" to determine what is the best build for your characters.

Moreover, unlike Genshin where you can explore the vast open world to get your materials, solve puzzles and such, Star Rail is more of like within a sandbox and the puzzles are just... like that.

(Picture Source: Honkai Star Rail Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

It's probably mean of me to say this as the game is still in its 1.0 patches. I mean, Genshin was kind of in the similar vein back then. Well, it's not like I will abandon the game, but I just hope that there is more to it than the sandbox style we are experiencing.

3️⃣ My Tribe

(Picture Source: Steam thru' Google Image Search)

You all probably have read my one tiny post about this game, I think... I cannot remember if I ever wrote a post about this. But, just for refreshers' sake.

This game is technically the same as Virtual Villagers, or any other survival game that you may have picked up. However, it has better graphics and the villagers at least look nicer.

(Picture Source: MacGameStore thru' Google Image Search)

The game is about this prospering tribe where a selected group of villagers went out to explore and inhabit another island (think of Disney's Moana). Unfortunately, they encountered a storm and got shipwrecked onto an unknown island. It is your job, as the "guidance from heaven", to help your villagers prosper once more and become Moana again.

To start the game off, you get to choose the island you want your villagers to be shipwrecked on. Each island has three different mysteries that your villagers need to solve (with your guidance). My suggestion here is to pick an island that has the Moondust pillar. It looks like that Stardust Pillar in the picture above but it is blue and has a crescent-shaped moon instead.

Allow me to explain quickly. In the game, you will have two dust falling onto your island: Stardust and Moondust. Stardust are more common than Moondust. For the mystery pillar you see in the picture above, once you solve it, it acts as a beacon for its respective dust to fall more often onto your island. It makes more sense to take the island with the Moondust pillar instead, doesn't it?

After you have selected your island, that's when you start the game proper. There is a crate near the shore where you can drop a villager onto to acquire the tools needed to farm stuff (wood and rock pile).

(Picture Source: Linda G. Hill thru' Google Image Search)

For the record, that is not my tribe. Anyway, my next advice is to go into the details page of each of your villagers. Just select one villager and you can click on the Details tab on the right.

(Picture Source: Steam Community thru' Google Image Search)

Okay, this is a poor example but it's the only picture I can find. In the details page, you will see your villagers' attributes, such as physical and mental strength. 60 and above is considered great as you can see in the picture above.

This is very important. Assign one task (Fishing, Wood Gathering, Rock Gathering, Construction) to your villager. ONLY one task. The reason being is because you are just starting out and you need to quickly gather supplies. If you select multiple, your villager will multi-task. It seems great, but they may not get things done which could be the demise of your village.

The next advice is to quickly build a hut and a science station. To help speed up the construction progress, use the stardust on the hut first. That's because your villagers need to sleep. In order to get a proper rest, the hut is an essential. However, I won't recommend you building multiple level 1 huts at the go because once your science station is up, you can very quickly get a level 2 hut after you gain enough science points.

(Picture Source: My Tribe for PC Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

In order to gain science points, you will need to assign a villager to do research. However, do that only after the science station is up. Also, the hut is essential to help your village reproduce. You don't really expect them to do it out in the open, right?

A last piece of advice I have, which is quite optional, is that you can add a letter to the back of your villager's name to create a "couple system". You can also do the same for any babies you have produced from the couples. This is completely up to your own decision and not a big necessity.

Another way you can help yourself to the "couple system" is after you have build the craftworks station. You get to make new clothes for your tribesmen. Because I am more of a visual person, I create clothes of the same colour for my couples. The downside of it is that there is a colour limit. While shades do exist in the game, you can easily mistaken it for another colour.

Another huge tip I would give for this game is that it has a pause feature in the game settings. Meaning that unlike most of such games, the game will pause the progress of your villagers if you will be away from your gaming device for a long period of time. This will prevent your villagers from dying unnecessarily because of your lack of supervision.

Overall, it is quite a relaxing game to play.

[yukihime242]

It is that time of the year where I start to do my annual review of the games I have played for the year. I made it sound like I have tons of annual reviews but in truth, I only did one which was last year...

(GIF Source: Imgur thru' Google Image Search)

Ahem, anyway, unlike last year where I categorised my games according to the platform which I played them on, I am going to categorise them as Completed, Currently Playing, and Anticipating. It makes more sense this way, doesn't it?

Obviously, I won't be putting all into one post because that would make it too long. I have also linked the two other posts to the respective titles above so you can just hop over to the other posts if you don't wish to read this one.

Now that's settled, on to the Completed list of games for 2023!

1️⃣ A Little to the Left

(Picture Source: Nintendo thru' Google Image Search)

A Little to the Left is one of the top cozy and organising games during the Covid period and it has excellent reviews on Steam. The only complain many players had with the game is the "unjustified" price tag for the game.

The game revolves around a couple attempting to organise and keep their house tidy but their cat, being a cat, would mess things up. Each level in the game will give you some form of satisfaction after re-organising or solving the puzzles. Of course, you will have their cat coming to mess things up occasionally.

The levels are doable but there are some that are really tricky. Many of you who may wish to play it would definitely want to solve the levels yourselves, but trust me, there are some that are so tricky that I had to google the answer.

But if you are insistent on trying to solve it yourself without any help, then here are a couple of tips. First, you can skip the level you are stuck at and go back to it at the end. I am not sure what is the control function on Switch, but if you are playing on PC, you can open the menu by pressing the ESC key and select the "Let It Be" option to move on to the next level. There is no time limit, so you can take your time to try and solve those puzzles at your own time.

Second, observe every single feature in the level, especially for those which has multiple solutions. Some are easy to solve, such as arranging it into ascending or descending order, or by colours and the like. But it is usually starting from the second solution that is tricky. The tip here is to observe every single feature in the level. Take for example, the leaves at the bottom picture below.

(Picture Source: A Little to the Left Wiki Fandom thru' Google Image Search)

At first glance, you would have guessed that the solution is by the colours. Congrats, you got your first solution, but there are more solutions to discover in this level. You will need to observe every thing in this level. Since the first solution is by colour, what else can you do to solve it? Is it by the leaf shape? Or by the length of the stems?

This is just one of the many levels that is designed as such. It may be liberating for some but there are those who may rage at not being able to figure out solution. My suggestion is to not be afraid to google the answer.

If you like to watch the gameplay of A Little to the Left, I have uploaded some videos onto my YouTube channel. The link will direct you to the playlist of the gameplay I have recorded and uploaded.

2️⃣ Death's Door

(Picture Source: Nintendo thru' Google Image Search)

Death's Door took me almost half a year to complete though the game system said that I only spent slightly over 20 hours to complete...

Anyway, this game talks about this crow that just got a job at the Reaper's Commission, and was assigned his first job. He successfully completed it but got his assigned soul stolen by another crow who has been trapped for years. Our crow chased after the older crow only to witness him sending our assigned soul to a long and large black door, to which the older crow explained that he had to do it in order for him to get his own assigned soul back. Unfortunately, the door did not budge and the older crow asked our crow for help to reap three other large souls to be used to open the door. Our crow reluctantly agreed to help.

The story of Death's Door is simple to follow as long as you pay attention to the dialogue. If not, you can just go google the story. Otherwise, the game mechanics, the UI and controls are all very simple. The only thing that may have you pulling your hair roots out is the battle.

Now, I am more of a casual player but am willing to try such games. I thought it was probably because my dodging skills was horrible but the online guide which I follow has a disclaimer at the homepage of the game guide that said you will die in battle a few times before achieving victory. Alas, it wasn't because of my dodging skills (it still sucks) but that the game was created in such a way.

Of course, it is not impossible to win the battle on the first try, but that the chances of it is quite low; I guess you could say it is a once in a blue moon effort.

If you are interested in trying the game, here are a few advice, not exactly tips, that if you allow me to give.

Firstly, don't be afraid to experiment. The thing about this game is that although the game mechanics and controls are the same for all, there are different playstyles that each player is accustomed to. Some probably swing their weapon like a maniac while some do it with a strategic calculation. Apart from that, there are also weapons you can collect throughout the gameplay, each with varying degrees of damage output. I have seen a player on YouTube use an umbrella to battle. That umbrella's damage output is only 0.5 (the sword assigned to you at the start of the game is 1). However, it seems to work for him, which kinda emphasizes my point here.

Secondly, and those most important advice here, is that surviving is more important than attacking. The boss battles, be it mini bosses or final bosses, including the Avarice, can be frustrating. It is at those points in the game where you will die countless times. Often times you may see an opportunity to attack but it could also be your demise. My suggestion is to dodge more and attack less. Sure, the battle will be dragged longer but it will increase your chances of survival better.

(Picture Source: EIP Gaming thru' Google Image Search)

Thirdly, you don't need necessarily need to achieve 100% completion rate to complete the game. The 100% completion rate is by levelling up your spells, visiting every shrine, and making sure that all pots are planted with a life seed.

While power ups and having a handy potted life seed is good, it is not necessarily needed to complete the game experience. It is possible to complete the game without any of those. Even so, I would still suggest trying to go for it because it will make your battle a tad bit easier to deal with, especially the fire spell (levelling up your fire spell will make your enemies experience continued burning damage after you throw a fire ball at them).

Final advice is to explore every nook and cranny of the map. There aren't any treasure chest with loads of goodies for you to collect, but because there may be some mass souls that you can pick up and exchange it at the vault in the Reaper's Commission for levelled up attack power.

While Death's Door was fun, I don't think I would go back to play it again because of the battle mechanics. It is really very frustrating which could prompt you to lose your interest in the game. However, it is also quite worth losing a few hairs.

3️⃣ Pokemon Scarlet

(Picture Source: Nintendo thru' Google Image Search)

I'd be honest here. At the time of writing, I have yet to complete the game. I am very confident that I could get past the Area Zero with ease but it is the Pokemon League that has me worried. My sister who completed the Violet version a long time ago advised me to level up as many different types of Pokemon as possible before I tackle the Pokemon League.

I have a feeling that this game would very well run over into 2024, but I am not willing to put this game under the 2024 annual review since I am currently near to the end of the story. Moreover, I won't be able to play DLC because my country strangely does not support the e-shop.

Anyway, just like any other Pokemon game (to my knowledge because this is the first of such for me), you are an aspiring trainer ready to take your first big step into the world of Pokemon like Ash Ketchum, except in the Scarlet and Violet version, you got to attend the Pokemon Academy. But, of course, the whole purpose of a Pokemon game is to go out, explore, and catch Pokemon, which will be given to you after a few semesters in the Academy (time skip).

There are three quests for you to take (not optional). The first is the usual Pokemon League quest where you need to tackle the gyms located throughout Paldea. The second quest is helping Arven with his Mabosstiff by battling Titan Pokemon and acquiring some mystical herb. The third quest is to help Cassiopeia take down Team Star. All three are important quests to take on because they are located all over the Paldea region. If you are unsure of the order to go with, you can refer to this guide.

However, if you don't wish to tackle all at once, that my suggestion is to go for the Titan Pokemon quest first. The reason being is because after defeating each Titan Pokemon, your Koraidon, or Miraidon in Violet version, will acquire important skills beneficial to exploring Paldea. Afterwords, you can tackle both the Gym and Team Star together if you wish.

One thing I did to make my game experience smoother is to level up my Pokemon as high as I could. That's because I needed stronger Pokemon to battle the tougher Titan Pokemon. In order to do so, I went Tera Raiding, but that can also prove to get boring very easily.

(Picture Source: IGN thru' Google Image Search)

The big headache for this game is trying to find which Pokemon is best to keep and which is best to release. Of course, the usual strong Pokemon like Garchomp, Dragonite, Tyranitar and the like, are the top choices. But you will still need a wide selection of different types of Pokemon. The easiest way is to get hybrid types, such as Dragonite being a Dragon and Flying type.

Another way is to get the tera types. So, for example, you may encounter a Vaporeon (water type) with an electric tera version. However, the disadvantage of it is that in order to utilise the tera version, you will need to terastalize your Pokemon which has a long cool down between battles.

Overall, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet can be quite addicting, but it can also get boring soon. I'd say that it's a double-edge sword. Still, being my very first RPG Pokemon game, it is quite an experience to behold. I do look forward to other similar games like this.

[yukihime242]

Lady And The Tramp (1955) Dir. Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson And Hamilton Luske

[yukihime242]

Today's anime cluster review is a bit different than the norm. First, let's introduce the theme for the cluster: fallen from grace.

Okay, I know some of you may be thinking that it's a hero to villain type of anime that I will be reviewing but no. It's more of the character in the anime who may once had been a powerful person, a famous person, a strong force to be reckoned with, and many more, and their current situation in the anime was that they were no longer who they used to be. It is not necessarily that they lost all of their fame and power or the like, it could be that they no longer associate with anything of such nature for the sake of peaceful living... or possibly a hidden agenda...

Also, given the nature of this cluster's theme, it is inevitable that I may need to spell out the entire story of the character, or the plot, in order to justify the reason why the anime is categorised in this theme. But for those of you who are possibly interested in the anime listed below but don't wish to see any spoilers and yet you still want to know what my views are on those anime, I will put a TLDR at the end of each anime review in this list.

Now that that's done with, let's get on to it! Also, 🚨MAJOR SPOILERS🚨 will be expected in today's anime review list.

1️⃣ Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records

(Picture Source: Draggle's Anime Blog thru' Google Image Search)

The main protagonist, Glenn Radars (on the left), is one such character having "fallen from grace". Prior to the current events in the anime, Glenn was part of a special military unit, which comprises of an elite group of mages, that was under the royal family's order.

While Glenn may not necessarily be the strongest in the unit, he is still a feared ex-member of the military unit. Throughout the anime, he has shown and demonstrated his feats of fighting against the enemies.

It can be considered as a comedic anime but it does have its serious side. It is a very fun anime to watch, in my opinion, and it also gives you a satisfying feeling when Glenn one ups the people who doubted his abilities. Good anime to watch.

Rating: 8.5⭐/10

TLDR: Gives you the satisfied feeling whenever main protagonist one up against people who doubted his abilities.

2️⃣ Jikan no Shihaisha

(Picture Source: IMDb thru' Google Image Search)

I'd be very honest with you, I have no freaking idea what is going on in this anime.

Let me introduce you to the main protagonist, Ace, the guy in red. He is actually a lot older than he looks and he was considered the best agent of some sort in this organisation. But something happened and Ace lost his memory, and his body started going back in time. So, yes, that young man in red you see up there is the main protagonist technically under a curse of some sort... and the organisation is out to kill him for reasons unknown to mankind.

Allow me to spoil even further since we are looking at the picture. And I also highly doubt anyone wants to watch this anime... for reals...

That guy in the far right? That's Ace's son. That girl on the left? That's some goddess of time and also Ace's wife, and yes, she gave birth to that son at the back.

Alright, technically, what I remember is that both Ace and his son were trying to find a way to undo the so call "curse" that Ace is suffering from so that he would go back to the original age he was supposed to be. The downside of this "curse" is that Ace does not remember much about everything, but my guess is because his son was constantly with him, Ace remembers that he has a son.

Another thing in this anime is that there are time eating monsters. So while Ace and his son (the reason i keep calling him "son" is because I forgot his name but too lazy to google for it) searched for a way to rid Ace of his "curse", they had to battle against this time eating monsters.

So yeap, as I said before, this anime is super confusing and I have no idea what the heck is going on. I would not recommend this anime at all, but if you guys are brave enough to watch it, I shall pray for the sanity of your brains.

Rating: 2⭐/10

TLDR: Have no idea what is going on, only know main protagonist needs to rid himself of some "curse" he is being placed under while battling against some time eating monsters.

3️⃣ Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan

(Picture Source: Gameindustry.com thru' Google Image Search)

I have watched this countlessly times and the one thing that still confuses me was why Kanata, the male protagonist, was labelled a traitor...

I'm jumping ahead so let me backtrack a bit.

Kanata, the sole guy you see in the picture, was once part of an elite team and he was known to be the strongest in the team. They were facing some monsters that were attacking the academy and Kanata decided to face the monsters alone when one of his teammates fell (I can't remember who it was). Afterwards, the anime cut to the current events and Kanata was labelled as a traitor and was no longer part of the ace team.

I mean like... I still don't get why he is being called a traitor... like what the heck did he do?

Anyway, the story focused on Kanata, who after having labelled as a traitor, was assigned to be an instructor to a team of failures.... I apologise for the harshness but I don't know any other better terms to describe them.

It is quite an interesting anime to watch though it would have been better if they could address his label as a traitor properly. There probably would be a character you would want to throttle in the anime. For me, it was Misora.

Anyway, have a go at it and I would recommend watching this anime for some comedy relief.

Rating: 8⭐/10

TLDR: Not the best, but it's a good anime to watch. Just not entirely sure about the "traitor" label and its origins.

4️⃣ I'm Quitting Heroing

(Picture Source: Anime Trending thru' Google Image Search)

Wow, there is quite a lot to unpack here in this anime... Okay, let's get down to it.

Some of you may know, and some of you may not know. This anime was popular recently and received good reviews. I thought it was worth a watch and it actually is quite relaxing.

As I said earlier, there's a lot to unpack and there will be major spoilers. THIS IS ONE ANIME THAT IS SUCH. So, if you don't wish to see the spoilers, then I recommend you to quickly scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and read the TLDR version instead.

For those of you who decided to continue reading, you have been warned.

Okay, so first off, the main protagonist is Leo Demonheart, the guy lying on the couch in the picture up there, is the hero of the world. When you think of the word hero, the character would probably be some human blessed with a multitude of blessings and could become a saint after he retires as a hero, right? Well, not for Leo.

Leo was actually a humanoid species created by the humans of modern day Tokyo to help curb the invasion of the demons then. He was one of the 12 humanoids created to help with this unrewarding endeavour for eternity. As time passed, modern day technology crumbled and the current events of the anime is what happens after the invasion of the demons in modern day Tokyo.

If you are still confuse by what I am trying to say, basically, it seems like time reversed on earth. Instead of a government that we are used to in real life, the people reverted to the time when kings ruled and nobility exists. So, it was during this period that Leo was recognised as a hero and he went to defeat the demon ruler. It was a successful battle for him since he is ridiculously strong, but the humans and the king Leo served were terrified of his power, and well... Leo then went to find the demon queen he defeated earlier to serve under her instead.

This is actually a very good anime. The only pet peeve I have about this series is the timeline jumping. Now, I understand that it was Leo's memories. But before he explained it properly in the series, it was super confusing when the scenes shifted between the two timelines. It gave the question of whether I was watching a parallel universe or something.

But overall, it is a good anime and highly recommended to watch.

Rating: 8.5 ⭐/10

TLDR: A highly recommended anime to watch but timeline jumping scenes in the series can be confusing.

[yukihime242]

It is time to do a little check-in on my games before I do a year-end review of the games I have played for this year.

1️⃣ Pokemon Scarlet

(Picture Source: Den of Geek thru' Google Image Search)

The goal I set myself for the game was to have my selected Pokemon reach a minimum of level 65. To be honest, I have already reached the goal some time ago.

In the current state of the game (at the time of writing), Koraidon has already obtained all of the abilities needed to explore Paldea with ease. That's right, meaning I have defeated all of the Titans in Paldea. The only thing left for me to do is to visit the lighthouse to complete the Titans quest, but I am not so keen on it yet.

The next thing that has been done is the Gym quest. I have completed every gym and that means that I am able to catch Pokemons of all levels easier and they will listen to my commands. Like the Titan quest, I have not gone to the League to get my champion rank.

The third quest which is the Team Star quest is the only quest that is incomplete. I was actually dealing with the quest before I embark on the gym quest, but realised that the last two Team Star bases are too strong for my Pokemon then. I had to put a pause on it and went Tera raiding around Paldea to level up my Pokemon. Thus, the goal.

As for now, I am currently filling up my Pokedex through Tera raiding or encountering Tera Pokemon in the wild. I even purchased 999 Pokeballs just for this purpose. The thing is that even after you encounter the Pokemon, it does not fully register its information into the Pokedex if you don't capture it. As such, I am doing that, capturing and releasing the Pokemon just to fill up my Pokedex.

It is kinda killing two birds with one stone since I am currently levelling up the rest of my Pokemon. I may also complete the last two Team Star raids, finish the Titan and Team Star quests. The only quest that I would shelf now is the league quest because the location is back behind the school. I technically have no business there so it shouldn't hinder my exploration progress in the game.

2️⃣ Honkai Star Rail (HSR)

(Picture Source: IGN Southeast Asia thru' Google Image Search)

The goal I set for myself for HSR is to complete the first elemental set of characters before end January 2024. If you are unsure of what I meant, you can refer to my old post.

There is good news and bad news. Good news is that I completed my final Trailblaze ascension, meaning that my characters can now ascend to level 80 with ease. Bad news is I need to ascend my characters to level 80.

That also means that I have to start from my first built character again and work my way down the list. I also need to quickly get the final two relics which are obtainable only from the Simulation Universe.

The worrying part is whether I can make it in time. The only thing I can do now is to keep farming and levelling up my characters.

Another thing from the game that I need to quickly start on is the Luofu's event. Gah, I was planning to do it today but now, it's no longer an option since it's 45 minutes to midnight when I am writing this post (I have work tomorrow 😢). I probably will have to sacrifice a day of Genshin farming just to quickly do the Luofu event.

3️⃣ Genshin Impact (Genshin)

(Picture Source: Yahoo News Singapore thru' Google Image Search)

I realised something after posting that goal post days later... When I said that my goal for Genshin is to hit 20% fully built characters, I did not specify the total number of characters. That is extremely important because the total number of characters changes every month. At the time of writing that post, the total character count is 74.

The goal of hitting 20% fully built characters before Lantern Rite 2024 will only be for the total number of 74 characters. Otherwise, I will never hit that goal even if we shift the deadline.

Now that that is settled, let's get down to the progression of reaching the goal. To be honest, it is very slow. I am considering whether I should make the two days of the week solely for farming the materials in order to reach the target goal of 20%. It's still a thought in process but I also know I am running out of time.

4️⃣ Sky Children of the Light

(Picture Source: App Store - Apple thru' Google Image Search)

I'd be very very very honest.

I have not logged in even from my last post about Sky.

I am actually considering to shelf the game for good because I don't feel motivated at all to return to the game. Sure, there are some very beautiful cosmetics like that ultimate gift scarf that I won't be able to get, and the limited time fireworks staff, but I just don't feel motivated to return.

I probably return to film a short clip because I do have a nice video idea, just haven't gotten around to doing it, but otherwise, I am really not planning to visit the game for the time being.

[yukihime242]

This time, I am looking at a list of anime that has a masterful character in the show. This means that the character is skillful in anything he/she does, be it cooking, cleaning, performing etc.

Also, 🚨SPOILERS🚨 for those who has yet to watch some of the anime below.

1️⃣ Kuroshitsuji

(Picture Source: The Nerdy Shrink thru' Google Image Search)

This anime is also known as Black Butler for those of you who prefer the English-dubbed version. I bet some of you guys were thinking about this anime when I relayed the theme in the intro. To be honest, this anime came to my mind too (hahahaha).

Ahem. Anyway, this anime talks about a young boy called Ciel Phantomhive who was almost used as a sacrifice by a secret cult to summon a demon. The demon thought that Ciel was more worthy to be his master and decided to serve him instead under the guise of his butler. The contract that they made was for the demon to obey Ciel's every order and protect him with all his might until the day Ciel manage to exact his revenge on those who tried to sacrifice him.

This is a shoujo anime, and many many many girls fawn and swoon over the demon butler, Sebastian. Mind you, a new season is going to come out in 2024 so this anime will be all over your anime feed once more.

This anime is quite good. It currently has two seasons, with the second season introducing anime-only characters, another additional season focusing on the Book of Circus, and finally, a movie where they boarded a ship which was infested with zombies (no... it's in the manga... it's an arc).

You will also get to witness the might of the butler, Sebastian, as he takes care of the house chores around the Phantomhive Manor with precision and grace. The rule is that you cannot say he is a masterful butler; you must say that "he is one hell of a butler".

Rating: 8.5⭐/10

2️⃣ The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today

(Picture Source: IMDb thru' Google Image Search)

This is a more recent anime and Netflix released it some time ago and I managed to finish watching it.

First off, yes, that is a real cat. He just evolved to act more like a human to take care of his sloppy master. You could say that he learned to take care of his master and maintain the house chores to the point people believe it was done by Saku. I mean... would you believe her if she tells you that it was done by her cat?

The story revolves around Saku trying to skirt around the praises and compliments she received for her house skills because in truth, it was all done by her masterful cat, Yukichi.

Despite Yukichi being the size of a bear, as according to the description in the Wiki, the anime is mostly a slice-of-life genre. If you like that genre, and love cats, then this anime is one for you.

Rating: 8⭐/10

3️⃣ Spy x Family Season 2

(Picture Source: Yahoo thru' Google Image Search)

The latest season of Spy x Family was out on Netflix and this time, it is much better than the previous season.

In the new season, the anime focuses on the vacation time for the students. Hence, the Forger family went on a cruise. There was quite a lot of adventures to be held in the large ship and it has given Anya the adventure of a life time.

As usual, Loid Forger, the masterful spy in the show, has shown his endless feats of skills, from flawlessly disguising himself to help save the cruise to surfing the ocean waves with ease. This new season has proven to be more exciting than the previous one.

Rating: 8⭐/10

4️⃣ Sakamoto desu ga?

(Picture Source: Dailymotion thru' Google Image Search)

I think this anime may speak some familiarity to you guys as it was probably about a year or so ago that this anime came out.

Just like the theme for this cluster review, it talks about this young man called Sakamoto who is literally ✨perfect✨ in everything (I feel like I have to give him the sparkles). His grades, his physical fitness, and the things that he does is the peak of ✨perfection✨.

But don't get him wrong, while he may seem to be following the school rules based on his attire, he also knows how to bend the rules at times to suit the needs for himself and others. And he does it ✨flawlessly✨. This has earned him respect from both his classmates and schoolmates who once hated him with a passion.

I hope the sparkles has enough emphasize-ness on his masterfulness.

... That was quite a mouthful...

Anyway, not a really bad anime. Most of the men drawn in this anime were drawn to be moderate or ugly to emphasize on his good looks. It could be like the Komi Can't Communicate anime but the male version of it.

Rating: 7.5 ⭐/10