天下制覇

Anybody still here?

Edit: Apparently a host update (I think PHP) has killed comment posting. Trying to figure that out. That explains… at least a little bit. I probably need to start a Twitter account or something just for a second way to contact. Standby until I get this figured out.

This season's wrapping up, and as I glance at next season's offerings, I can't help but see over a dozen sequels, which is really putting a damper on my motivation for putting together a season preview, especially after two really weak seasons, not just on my site, but seemingly for anime fandom/blogging in general. I could really use one of Sunrise's crazy-ass sci-fi/fantasy shows with completely bonkers writing and plot developments. As poorly written as recent shows have been, they are so mostly through a lack of ambition, in both things happening and in characters doing jack squat. Granbelm would probably get my crown for the season, but it keeps fumbling with its antagonists and has a really bizarre and twisted view of interpersonal relationships. Symphogear somehow comes in second despite having gone three months without actually challenging the protagonists even once and the latest episode contained a long aside on how the moon illuminati created the world and live in your T cells or something. It's four seasons past when it was time to retire the show, guys.

The one thing I might mention and/or ask for feedback on is what to do with the game/translation forums. I've been very lax about keeping that stuff up to date, and a recent PHP update seems to have broken things. I'm not sure it's worth it to try to fix things or to just lock stuff down until/if the time ever comes when they'd be useful again. The best answer is probably to lock them down and create a new thing if I ever do need a forum for some reason. I'm open to suggestions though.

I do have my eye on a couple games. Apparently Softhouse Chara has hooked up with Nexton and is making a game based on the Suzukuri Dragon engine featuring Koihime characters, in particular Karin/Cao Cao as a demon lord. However, the usual Kazuya character is the protagonist, which is a waste of a bisexual sadist titular heroine if you ask me. There's not much other information about it out yet, but I also can't help note that Nexton created an English page and is advertising the game there. Makes you wonder what their plans are. 

There's also an upcoming game from Ninetail which is pretty hilarious in its total abandonment of any original thought in its body. It's essentially Kamidori, but with even more cliches. If you can think of a Japanese fantasy/light novel cliche, it's here. Needing to inject all the heroines with your "philosopher's stone" bodily fluids? Obviously. Protagonist just a nice dude who's gonna do his best? Clearly. Magical high school? Duh. Slave wife? Of course. Princess knight? Definitely. There's even a monster clone of your dead sister. Now, being riddled with cliches isn't in itself a disqualifying from being a good game, but it's rare that the entire description from top to bottom is a recitation of nothing but cliches, like they took a TVTropes page and used that as the starting point for all character and setting descriptions. It does look like the usual Wizardry knockoff engine they use for RPGs, which is utter crap, and I loaded up the 'story' trial they put out, just to see that it was 80% sex scenes and wasn't going to bother with the other 20%, but I am curious to see if it turns out to be even a fraction as cliche as it's advertising itself being.

I have little else to say for now. I want to still do a season preview for next season, but the time crunch is bearing down and I've not started on even my now truncated version of it, complete with 4-5 buckets into which all shows will inevitably fall. In hindsight, as accurate as that was, it's certainly given a new framework to look at upcoming seasons, and it ain't a complimentary one. C'est la vie. It's about the writing and the silly sprites more than the watching anyway.