2024 HAUL - DECEMBER CHAPTER: BATCH #3.2
Part 2 of the batch consists of the remaining packages all arriving yesterday (Saturday).
The next batch of Limited Run Games finally arrived when they started shipping them out back in November. Here we have two Nintendo Switch games in physical form.
The big one here is Clock Tower: Rewind, an enhanced port of the 1995 cult classic Super Famicom game released only in Japan at the time by Human Entertainment, the developers behind Twilight Syndrome. The rest of the world saw the sequel released on PlayStation as the first one but that's not the case. This is a point and click trial and error survival horror game with a presentation style reminiscent of Dario Argento's Phenomena which looks great. I also like the WayForward intro and their anime inspired character designs though the main game itself is still the original look. The game is said to be short but difficult unless you know the crit-path.
Next we finally have a physical release for a Picross game. Hatsune Miku: Logic Paint S is a puzzle game developed by Crypton Future Media, the same folks behind the other Hatsune Miku games and here it's picross as mentioned. This was released in 2021 and Limited Run Games have provided a physical release for the Nintendo Switch version which I immediately jumped on because it's absolutely criminal that a Picross game has yet to be released physically for crying out loud. Overlord and Shield Hero both have Picross games but those are still digital only.
Next we have the Sentai Filmworks Black Friday haul which is one that I have planned to pick up anime from the start, since I wasn't going to bother much with the other holiday-related sales. Now the selection was good but some that I had wanted were either not part of this sale or not at the right price range just yet. While purchasing 12 anime release is a lot, the big difference here compared to Crunchyroll Store is the prices themselves which are very cheap.
In alphabetical order we start off with Dai Shogun: Great Revolution, a historical mecha ecchi anime series which I remember they tried to produce a CG anime but that failed the crowdfunding project. The anime aired in April 2014 by studios J.C.Staff (DanMachi) & A.C.G.T. (Freezing).
Next we have Getter Robo Arc, the latest series in the Go Nagai Getter Robo franchise to be adapted into an anime. Now I recall this one isn't exactly newcomer friendly but with Discotek putting out so many of these it's not too hard to keep up. I am surprised there's a whole disc dedicated to bonus features which is cool. The anime aired in July 2021 and was adapted by studios Bee Media (Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact!) and Studio A-Cat (Highspeed Etoile).
Girlish Number is here and it's a pretty good series about voice acting in an anime. While the final arc is a bit harsh the series as a whole was solid. The anime aired in October 2016 and was adapted by studio Diomedéa (Ahiru no Sora).
Locodol is an idol series that's caught my eye for a while and then later discovered Sentai were selling this series for as low as $1.99 like, well sure why not. The anime aired in July 2014 and was adapted by studio Feel (Spy Classroom).
Love and Lies is a romance series with an interesting premise but how it ends I have no clue and it could go either way. The art style also intrigued me though I can see putting off many viewers. The anime aired in July 2017 and was adapted by studio Liden Films (Tokyo Revengers).
Love, Election & Chocolate is a weird name but go with it. Based on an eroge visual novel with character designs by Yū Akinashi (Hina Logic: Luck & Logic), this series much like many others back in the day was also adapted into an anime which got adapted designed by Hiroaki Gouda of Amagami SS fame. The first time I heard about this series was a promo card that you often get from Rightstuf which was cool. The anime aired in July 2012 and was adapted by studio AIC (Persona 4: The Animation).
Next we have Maria Holic & Maria Holic Alive, two seasons bundled together in one complete series collection. This series first caught my interest when Sentai released them on home video. Yukihiro Miyamoto (Puella Magi Madoka Magica), Akiyuki Shinbo (Monogatari) and Tomokazu Tokoro (NieA_7) were the directors involved which intrigues me. The first season aired in January 2009 and the second season aired in April 2011, and both were adapted by studio SHAFT (March comes in like a Lion).
Then we have Samurai Girls & Samurai Bride, two seasons also bundled together in one complete series collection. The first time that I heard about this franchise was actually the fact that it was one of the first Blu-ray releases in the UK by Manga and KAZE UK, and I remember also because it got an 18. It's basically ecchi samurai action because why not. The first season aired in September 2010 and the second season aired in April 2013, and both were adapted by studio Arms (Queen's Blade).
A series that I've been interested in recently got a re-release by Sentai in recent years is Waiting in the Summer. This started off as a subtitled only title and then received an English dub with its OVA included. Tatsuyuki Nagai (Anohana) directed the series and it's probably the most polished show in this haul. The anime aired in January 2012 and was adapted by studio J.C.Staff (Toradora!).
Next we have Young Black Jack, a prequel to Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack series. I don't go out of my way to watch a Tezuka franchise these days but the Black Jack franchise has caught my attention. I own the film that Discotek released years ago Black Jack the Movie which I haven't watched yet but read its one of the best, the Urasawa collaboration series Pluto was very good too, and I did hear Atom: The Beginning is pretty decent. So I'm looking forward to watching this anime, which Sentai also re-released so it must have done well enough to get that kind of treatment. The anime aired in October 2015 and was adapted by studio Tezuka Productions (The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses).
Yusibu: I Couldn't Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job has a silly premise but it works given the crazy amount of premises we have nowadays thanks to isekai. This series was produced in-between The Future Diary and Big Order so it was the calm before the storm for quality by the studio. The anime aired in October 2013 and was adapted by studio Asread (ARIFURETA).
And last but not least is a spin-off that people wouldn't realise is related to the Z/X Ignition series - Z/X Code Reunion. As soon as I picked up the Discotek Media release I immediately wanted to pick this one up because I was curious to see what direction they took with this, since it's mostly disconnected. The anime aired in October 2019 and was adapted by studio Passione (Spice & Wolf).
Those of you who have seen my pickups over the year may recognise that I did own the UK versions for Dai Shogun, Girlish Number, Love and Lies, Love, Election & Chocolate, and Yusibu: I Couldn't Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job a few years ago (2020 & 2021) but I sold them in favour of Sentai's re-releases.
Part 2 of the batch consists of the remaining packages all arriving yesterday (Saturday).
The next batch of Limited Run Games finally arrived when they started shipping them out back in November. Here we have two Nintendo Switch games in physical form.
The big one here is Clock Tower: Rewind, an enhanced port of the 1995 cult classic Super Famicom game released only in Japan at the time by Human Entertainment, the developers behind Twilight Syndrome. The rest of the world saw the sequel released on PlayStation as the first one but that's not the case. This is a point and click trial and error survival horror game with a presentation style reminiscent of Dario Argento's Phenomena which looks great. I also like the WayForward intro and their anime inspired character designs though the main game itself is still the original look. The game is said to be short but difficult unless you know the crit-path.
Next we finally have a physical release for a Picross game. Hatsune Miku: Logic Paint S is a puzzle game developed by Crypton Future Media, the same folks behind the other Hatsune Miku games and here it's picross as mentioned. This was released in 2021 and Limited Run Games have provided a physical release for the Nintendo Switch version which I immediately jumped on because it's absolutely criminal that a Picross game has yet to be released physically for crying out loud. Overlord and Shield Hero both have Picross games but those are still digital only.
Next we have the Sentai Filmworks Black Friday haul which is one that I have planned to pick up anime from the start, since I wasn't going to bother much with the other holiday-related sales. Now the selection was good but some that I had wanted were either not part of this sale or not at the right price range just yet. While purchasing 12 anime release is a lot, the big difference here compared to Crunchyroll Store is the prices themselves which are very cheap.
In alphabetical order we start off with Dai Shogun: Great Revolution, a historical mecha ecchi anime series which I remember they tried to produce a CG anime but that failed the crowdfunding project. The anime aired in April 2014 by studios J.C.Staff (DanMachi) & A.C.G.T. (Freezing).
Next we have Getter Robo Arc, the latest series in the Go Nagai Getter Robo franchise to be adapted into an anime. Now I recall this one isn't exactly newcomer friendly but with Discotek putting out so many of these it's not too hard to keep up. I am surprised there's a whole disc dedicated to bonus features which is cool. The anime aired in July 2021 and was adapted by studios Bee Media (Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact!) and Studio A-Cat (Highspeed Etoile).
Girlish Number is here and it's a pretty good series about voice acting in an anime. While the final arc is a bit harsh the series as a whole was solid. The anime aired in October 2016 and was adapted by studio Diomedéa (Ahiru no Sora).
Locodol is an idol series that's caught my eye for a while and then later discovered Sentai were selling this series for as low as $1.99 like, well sure why not. The anime aired in July 2014 and was adapted by studio Feel (Spy Classroom).
Love and Lies is a romance series with an interesting premise but how it ends I have no clue and it could go either way. The art style also intrigued me though I can see putting off many viewers. The anime aired in July 2017 and was adapted by studio Liden Films (Tokyo Revengers).
Love, Election & Chocolate is a weird name but go with it. Based on an eroge visual novel with character designs by Yū Akinashi (Hina Logic: Luck & Logic), this series much like many others back in the day was also adapted into an anime which got adapted designed by Hiroaki Gouda of Amagami SS fame. The first time I heard about this series was a promo card that you often get from Rightstuf which was cool. The anime aired in July 2012 and was adapted by studio AIC (Persona 4: The Animation).
Next we have Maria Holic & Maria Holic Alive, two seasons bundled together in one complete series collection. This series first caught my interest when Sentai released them on home video. Yukihiro Miyamoto (Puella Magi Madoka Magica), Akiyuki Shinbo (Monogatari) and Tomokazu Tokoro (NieA_7) were the directors involved which intrigues me. The first season aired in January 2009 and the second season aired in April 2011, and both were adapted by studio SHAFT (March comes in like a Lion).
Then we have Samurai Girls & Samurai Bride, two seasons also bundled together in one complete series collection. The first time that I heard about this franchise was actually the fact that it was one of the first Blu-ray releases in the UK by Manga and KAZE UK, and I remember also because it got an 18. It's basically ecchi samurai action because why not. The first season aired in September 2010 and the second season aired in April 2013, and both were adapted by studio Arms (Queen's Blade).
A series that I've been interested in recently got a re-release by Sentai in recent years is Waiting in the Summer. This started off as a subtitled only title and then received an English dub with its OVA included. Tatsuyuki Nagai (Anohana) directed the series and it's probably the most polished show in this haul. The anime aired in January 2012 and was adapted by studio J.C.Staff (Toradora!).
Next we have Young Black Jack, a prequel to Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack series. I don't go out of my way to watch a Tezuka franchise these days but the Black Jack franchise has caught my attention. I own the film that Discotek released years ago Black Jack the Movie which I haven't watched yet but read its one of the best, the Urasawa collaboration series Pluto was very good too, and I did hear Atom: The Beginning is pretty decent. So I'm looking forward to watching this anime, which Sentai also re-released so it must have done well enough to get that kind of treatment. The anime aired in October 2015 and was adapted by studio Tezuka Productions (The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses).
Yusibu: I Couldn't Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job has a silly premise but it works given the crazy amount of premises we have nowadays thanks to isekai. This series was produced in-between The Future Diary and Big Order so it was the calm before the storm for quality by the studio. The anime aired in October 2013 and was adapted by studio Asread (ARIFURETA).
And last but not least is a spin-off that people wouldn't realise is related to the Z/X Ignition series - Z/X Code Reunion. As soon as I picked up the Discotek Media release I immediately wanted to pick this one up because I was curious to see what direction they took with this, since it's mostly disconnected. The anime aired in October 2019 and was adapted by studio Passione (Spice & Wolf).
Those of you who have seen my pickups over the year may recognise that I did own the UK versions for Dai Shogun, Girlish Number, Love and Lies, Love, Election & Chocolate, and Yusibu: I Couldn't Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job a few years ago (2020 & 2021) but I sold them in favour of Sentai's re-releases.
My other recent Temu order with the pastel colour/pattern block joggers and sweatshirt set, smaller shimmer eyeshadow set and white shoes should arrive tomorrow via Royal Mail so I'll post about those here soon too. (I was gonna have the order I've talked about here delivered on Friday last week, but had it delivered to a nearby parcelshop as I thought I was going to visit a friend on the train that afternoon, in the end I was too anxious about the train journey to go, but I kind of weirdly appreciate the opportunity to exercise a bit of additional patience regarding my delivery, it's not like Temu and so on are super speedy to begin with, but IDK... yea) 
