#NIS Classics Vol. 1

[yyh4ever]

Yu Yu Hakusho Symphonic Collection I & II

Those two CDs are a selection of theme songs from "Yu Yu Hakusho", performed by the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Bob Sakuma.

Yu Yu Hakusho Symphonic Collection Vol. I (January/1995)

Cover

Booklet

"Yu Yu Hakusho" (written by Yoshihiro Togashi) has been serialized in Shueisha's "Weekly Shounen Jump" since 1990 and continues to have an overwhelming popularity. The comic books have had a tremendous circulation, and the TV animation, which aired on nationwide Fuji Television network, has recorded an astonishingly high viewer rating, an event that is said to occur once in decades.

The amount of characters' goods sold is enormous, and they continue to be eagerly desired by the fans.

The "Yu Yu Hakusho Symphonic Collection" is a selection of profoundly memorable theme songs from the big hit and masterpiece anime "Yu Yu Hakusho". Conducted by Bob Sakuma with great performance of the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, we will present you with a profound and magnificence orchestration.

Track List:

INTRODUCTION

2. Unbalance na Kiss wo Shite (アンバランスなKissをして)

3. Hohoemi no Bakudan (微笑みの爆弾)

4. Kōri no Naifu wo Daite ~ Kokoro wo Tsunaide ~ Tasogare ni se wo Mukete (氷のナイフを抱いて～心をつないで～黄昏に背を向けて)

5. Taiyou ga Mata Kagayaku Toki (太陽がまた輝くと)

6. Homework ga Owaranai (ホームワークが終わらない)

7. Mienai Mirai e～Yasashisa wa Nemuranai～Hikari no Naka de (見えない未来へ～優しさは眠らない～光の中で)

8. Daydream Generation (デイドリーム・ジェネレーション)

9. Sayonara Bye Bye (さよならバイ・バイ)

10. END CREDITS

Bob Sakuma (ボブ佐久間)

Profile:

Composer, arranger, and conductor. At the age of 4, he started playing violin and piano, and at the age of 22, he made his debut as a composer.

Unsatisfied with the smooth sailing of the work as a writer, at the age of 27, he suddenly decided to emigrate to the United States, in order to know more about his own abilities on a global level. He lived in Hollywood, California, for 8 years, where he worked with many famous artists, especially in commercials and live performances.

In October 1985, he returned to Japan and settled there again. He has worked on numerous stages, TV shows, doramas, movies, musicals, etc., and his extensive composition (of music) activities have gained overwhelming support across genres such as pop, rock, jazz, and classical music.

Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra (名古屋フィルハーモニー交響楽団)

Profile

Formed in 1966 by volunteer musicians of Nagoya City and surrounding areas, they gave their first subscription concert in October 1967.

Thereafter, they have steadily enhanced their skills while adjusting their structure as an orchestra. In 1988, they performed for the first time overseas, receiving great acclaim in various cities in Europe such as Paris and Geneva, and performing a great task as a cultural envoy.

T/N: Cultural envoy - figures and artists are sent overseas to engage in activities that will promote Japanese culture and create and reinforce cultural networks.

In recent years, symphonic pop concerts by symphony orchestras have become very popular, so they also have been very active in this area. In 1994, they have attracted attention from various circles with the "Symphonic Suite: The Silent Service," conducted by Bob Sakuma.

T/N: The Silent Service (沈黙の艦隊, Chinmoku no Kantai) is a manga series written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi.

Yu Yu Hakusho Symphonic Collection Vol.II (June/1996)

Cover

Booklet

Track List:

1. INTRODUCTION "Makai no Ibuki" (「魔界の息吹」, "Breath of Makai") 2. Hohoemi no Bakudan (微笑みの爆弾) 3. Unbalance na Kiss wo Shite (アンバランスなkissをして) 4. Sayonara Bye Bye (さよならbyebye) 5. Daydream Generation (デイドリーム・ジェネレーション) 6. Taiyo ga Mata Kagayaku Toki (太陽がまた輝くと) 7. Homework ga Owaranai (ホームワークが終わらない) 8. Kurayami ni Akai Bara ~Romantic Soldier~ (暗闇に紅いバラ) 9. Dead or Alive ~Toushin~ 10. Kuchibue ga Kikoeru (口笛が聴こえる) 11. WILD WIND ~Yasei no Kaze no you ni~ 12. EYE TO EYE 13. Sayonara wa Mirai no Hajimari (サヨナラは未来のはじま)

All tracks are performed by Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Bob Sakuma.

Profile

Bob Sakuma (ボブ佐久間)

Composer, arranger, and conductor. At the age of 4, he started playing violin and piano, and at the age of 22, he made his debut as a composer. Unsatisfied with the smooth sailing of the work of as a writer, at the age of 27, he suddenly decided to emigrate to the United States, in order to know more about his own abilities on a global level. He lived in Hollywood, California, for 8 years, where he worked with many famous artists, especially in commercials and live performances. In October 1985, he returned to Japan and settled there again. He has worked on numerous stages, TV shows, doramas, movies, musicals, etc., and his extensive composition (of music) activities have gained overwhelming support across genres such as pop, rock, jazz, and classical music. His representative works include the "The Silent Service Soundtrack" CD (Media Remoras) and the "Yu Yu Hakusho Symphonic Collection" CD (Media Remoras).

Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra

Volunteer musicians from the City of Nagoya and the surrounding area founded the NPO in 1966. They gave their first subscription concert in October 1967. Thereafter, they have steadily enhanced their skills while adjusting their structure as an orchestra. In 1988, they performed for the first time overseas, receiving great acclaim in various cities in Europe such as Paris and Geneva, thus performing a great task as a cultural envoy. In recent years, symphonic pop concerts by symphony orchestras have become very popular, so they also have been very active in this area, attracting attention from various circles with the "Symphonic Suite: The Silent Service," conducted by Bob Sakuma, in 1994. Finally, in 1995, they formed Japan's first pop orchestra known as the "Mei-Phil Pop Orchestra". Their future success is greatly anticipated. One of their representative works is the "Yu Yu Hakusho Symphonic Collection" CD (Media Remoras).

[kokiafans]

KOKIA in flashback - 2016

The year of 2016 has barely started, but it is already an exciting one for KOKIA as she gives birth to her son Leonardo (Leo for short) on January 13.

Amazingly, KOKIA is already back on the stage in weeks, for her second fully orchestrated concert no less! Later in the year, KOKIA also performs in Shanghai for the first time, and in November, she holds her concert LAYERS. This concert celebrates her 10 years of independence, shorter than her usual concerts but incorporating sounds, lightning, dance and effects in ways she's never done before. The title refers to all the layers of sound and visuals woven throughout this performance.

This is also the year KOKIA releases her first jazz cover album, Watching from above, featuring little Leo on the cover. The album is published by KOKIA's own office, anco&co, and therefore only available via the web shop or at concert venues.

◆ Lives and events ◆

February 14 KOKIA Heart touching music Symphonic Concert 2016 (Tokyo, Bunkamura Orchard Hall) ※ 2 performances in 1 day (Promotion: Valentine 2016)

March 26 PIANO to KOKIA ~minimum ga kokochi ii~ (‘PIANO and KOKIA - the minimum is a good feeling’) (Tokyo, Hakuju Hall) ※ 2 performances in 1 day (Promotion: piano concert 2016)

April 23-April 24  KOKIA 琴有独衷 2016 独唱会 ('The solitude of instruments, 2016 concert') (Shanghai, He Luting Concert Hall)  ※ First performance in Shanghai, mainland China (Promotion: Shanghai 2016)

June 18 REAL MUSIC NAKED presents REAL MUSIC VILLAGE 2016 (Hokkaido historic village) (Promotion: Real Music village 2016)

July 17-July 18 KOKIA 2016 concert Album o mekuru you ni (‘Like turning pages of an album’) (Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1) (Promotion: Yokohama 2016)

August 13 Watching from Above ~anata to tsunagaru basho~ ('the place where I'm connected to you') (NAGOYA Blue Note) ※ 2 performances in 1 day (Promotion: Nagoya Blue Note 2016)

September 3 KOKIA Salon (Harajuku Quest Hall) ※ Event exclusively for members of the KOKIA fanclub, club ancoro, 2 performances total (Promotion: KOKIA salon 2016)

November 5 LAYERS ~lights and shadows~ shinrabanshou ('the whole of creation') (Tokyo International Forum Hall C) (Promotion: Layers concert)

December 9-December 10 KOKIA 2016 Christmas Concert Dedicated to Classical Music ~kokoro ni hibiku mono~ ('what echoes in our hearts') (Tokyo, Shinagawa Church Gloria Chapel) (Promotion: Christmas 2016)

December 24 KOKIA 2016 Christmas live Christmas Party!! (Tokyo, Haremame (Haretara sora ni mame maite) ※ 2 performances in 1 day (Promotion: Christmas Party 2016)

◆ Releases ◆

February 1 Release of concert DVD KOKIA 2015 in Kawaguchiko mori to utau sora to tsunagaru (’singing with the forest, connected with the sky’) (anco&co.) (Promotion: Kawaguchiko 2015)

April 8 Release of jazz cover album Watching from Above (anco&co.) (Watching from Above)

July 1 Release of concert DVD KOKIA 2016 Heart Touching Music (anco&co.) (Promotion: Valentine 2016)

◆ Other releases ◆

March 2 Release of the Zardonic album Antihero (Victor Entertainment) ※ Includes a remix version of the main theme of TV game Strike Suit Zero performed by KOKIA as a bonus track on the Japanese exclusive version. (Zardonic)

March 24 Release of the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows game DARK SOULS III ※ Performed the end theme

September 14 Release of the single Itsuwari no sora no saki ni aru mono ('the things beyond the sky of lies') (TEAM Entertainment) ※ Opening theme for Yuukyuu no Tier Blade (’Tier blade of eternity’), the PlayStation Vita game released in the adult dating simulation game brand Otomate. Also performed the end theme, Aoi sora sore dake na no ni... ('Blue skies, though there's only that...') (Itsuwari no sora no saki ni aru mono, tier blade)

◆ Books ◆

February 1 Release of the Piano and voice sheet music collection otonami book vol.2 Ai wa kodama suru ('love echoes') (anco&co.) (Promotion: score book)

◆ Other ◆

June 22 Broadcasting of the NHK BS Premium Ehime region drama 'kutabare' bocchan ('Shove it, boy') ※ Performed in the theme song Kono machi de (’in this town’)

◆ Videos with links to watch ◆

PlayStation Vita game Yuukyuu no Tier Blade (’Tier blade of eternity’), opening theme Itsuwari no sora no saki ni aru mono ('the things beyond the sky of lies'): 【full version】PS Vita Yuukyuu no tier blade -Lost Chronicle- opening movie

[aptlascl]

Unable to transfer massive native instruments

UNABLE TO TRANSFER MASSIVE NATIVE INSTRUMENTS FREE

So the user gets all the same control but with not just one sound sampled. Then we took Impulse Responses of each preamp setting and used Kontakt’s convolution technology to model those settings within the sample instrument itself, switched just like on the original. In the case of Clav, it has different switched modes on the front of the unit so we were able to bypass those and sample the sound totally clean. We often go further by asking “what can we modify to make the sampling more flexible?” Often this means fitting separate outputs to bypass effects or filters or adding inputs to allow modelling of preamps etc. Our tech guy has worked with Aphex Twin, Jean-Michel Jarre, Adrian Utley and Will Gregory so we know he’s the best! He can get the units into great shape and get them ready for sampling. The key to successful vintage keyboard / synth sampling is to hand-off the hardware to a good technician in the first instance. We’d wish in general for more parameters to have direct connections to KSP and we get a lot of requests from users to have drag-and-drop user sample loading. Kontakt does have some limitations but never so many that you can’t find a new direction. Obviously nothing is perfect, but we can usually find a way to build what we need to, and also often find new creative directions in terms of performance and sequencing tools.

UNABLE TO TRANSFER MASSIVE NATIVE INSTRUMENTS FREE

Now we have gone back and revisited many of our classic instruments and totally rebuilt them for NKS – including our free content and I’m sure they’ll be more of those freebies in the future. So in 2016 we prepared 20 of our products to include NKS functionality and since then we added three or four new ones. Once the NKS system was introduced a couple of years ago, we were keen to integrate it into our libraries. Since that time there has never been a serious competitor so we’ve always used it for programming our instruments. We ‘grew up’ with Kontakt, from the first introduction of KSP. Suddenly our ‘sample-libraries’ could truly become ‘virtual-instruments’, with more space and scope to design creative interfaces and tools. When NI took the groundbreaking decision to allow custom GUIs in Kontakt (championed by OEM-Kontakt Player Godfather Dan Santucci), that was a huge turning point for us. That was really the library that began our reputation for developing unusual instruments that weren’t within the usual sampling remit a philosophy that remains at the heart of the company today. I also remember the release of our Hang Drum instrument in 2008. Having worked with Native Instruments on their ‘Kontakt Experience’ library all the way back in 2005, the extra material we had generated formed the basis for the very first Soniccouture product, Abstrakt Vol 1. Being early adopters of KSP ( Kontakt’s scripting language) was also very significant. Offering downloadable products early on was certainly a big one we were one of the first sample developers to respond to increasing broadband speeds around 2006. We’ve been creating sampled instruments for more than ten years and there are certain things that we’d consider ‘milestones’. Native Instruments spoke to James about how KONTAKT has always been at the centre of their creations. Known for their intuitive interfaces and innovative sounds, Soniccouture have gained a reputation as one of the most boundary-pushing developers in their field. James Thompson and Dan Powell formed Soniccouture in 2005 and ever since have been delighting their fans with esoteric and unusual sample libraries.

[prettymmorg]

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[mmorglucky]

Pcsx2 ratchet and clank texture issues

Pcsx2 ratchet and clank texture issues pro#

Pcsx2 ratchet and clank texture issues Ps4#

Pcsx2 ratchet and clank texture issues iso#

Pcsx2 ratchet and clank texture issues ps2#

Memory card saved files only with Rogue Emulator. Check Emulator Configuration for additional details. Clouds using shaders have the wrong shader applied, upscaler issue, remove up2x2 render to fix. Use custom config to fix terrain rendering.

Pcsx2 ratchet and clank texture issues iso#

Homebrew iso (NTSC-U/C version) cannot save or load due to memory card corruption. NTSC-J Version how are unable to reach the Title screen.Īvailable as a "PS2 Classics" as part of the "Pre-Order-Bonus" for "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown" (PS4) only (not available separately). Use custom config to fix terrain rendering and collision detection and to fix clouds wrong shader. KOF98 Emu fails to load past title screen.

Pcsx2 ratchet and clank texture issues pro#

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Pcsx2 ratchet and clank texture issues ps2#

Either freeze on Pic1.png or black screen immediately after PS2 logo. Tested with six different emulator templates, none of them worked. vu1=jit-sync allows game to boot past PS2 logo (known in Japan as " Tsukiyo ni Saraba" ). Known in Japan as 彩京シューティングコレクション Vol.1 STRIKERS1945 I&II (Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. In the NTSC-J version, Strikers 1945 II plays, but eventually crashes. In the PAL version of the game, 1945 works perfectly fine, but 1945 II is completely broken. Tried on several emulators, including Roguev2 and Jakv2. Pal version works flawlessly using Jaxv1 Emu but US version: Black screen after PS2 logo. Jak emulator freezes after PS2 bios intro. Works fine and just disable uprender from 2x2 to none in order to remove the white trail line. 50Hz game, use a "-force-pal-60hz=1" in recent emulators to fix framepacing.Īn unreleased prototype tested using Rogue emulator. Works great with Jakv2 emulator, no visuals with Roguev2. Official and Custom PS2Emu Configuration Files The Game has been released as a official "PS2 Classics on PS4" Title from Sony available at the PlayStation Store. Only for those Game Titles, which weren't released in certain Regions (for example: Games for the Japanese Market, which didn't saw a "Western Release").

Pcsx2 ratchet and clank texture issues Ps4#

You can't complete the Game successfully to the end even when both the Graphics and Framerates working fine and/or the PS4 will freeze/shutdown by itself. The Game crashes after some in-game-progress (randomly), you can't change Discs when prompted, the screen keeps black or you can't even start the Game at all. It works, but it will be a pain for both of your Gaming experience, as probably for your PS4 itself. The Game has several stronger issues like stronger flickering, massive frame drops and not only the graphics are glitching, but the Game itself too. The Game has some small issues like small flickering, frame drops or glitching graphics.īut the Game itself works fine and you are able to complete the Game successfully without any huge disadvantages for your in-game-progress. It works exactly like when you play it on real PS2 Hardware. The Game works perfect without any noticeable errors.

PS2 Classics Emulator Compatibility List (on PS3).

PS2 Classics Emulator Compatibility List (on PS4) Jump to letter: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

[thatottergamer]

Got my NIS Classics Vol 1 limited edition today. So nice.

[operationrainfall]

NIS Classics Vol. 1 is Now Available for Nintendo Switch

NIS Classics Vol. 1 is Now Available for Nintendo Switch

NIS America has announced that Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 1 is now officially available for Nintendo Switch. This game collection contains both Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Remastered as well as Soul Nomad & the World Eaters. This is the first time Soul Nomad & the World Eaters has been re-released and not only is it in this duo collection on Switch, but if you’d rather play on PC,…

[thegamingbuddha]

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 1: Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Remastered and Soul Nomad & the World Eaters

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 1: Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Remastered and Soul Nomad & the World Eaters

Over the past couple of years or so the trend of re-releasing classic games has been on the rise. From arcade classics to shmups and beat em’ ups  various developers are digging through their vaults and seeing what kinds of treasures are to be found. One of the developers/publishers leading this charge so far has been Nippon Ichi Software/Nippon Ichi Software America (NIS/NIS America). They have…

[geekcavepodcast]

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 1 Announcement Trailer

NIS America is releasing a collection of NIS games for the Nintendo Switch.  Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 1 includes the games Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Remastered and Soul Nomad & the World Eaters. 

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 1 releases to Nintendo Switch in Summer 2021.

[asnowperson]

Takemiya Keiko's Hensoukyoku

During a Takemiya discussion in a homo thread, an anon made an excellent post, after which I had to read Takemiya's Hensoukyoku (変奏曲, Variation).

"Don't read if you don't want spoilers!" is what I want to say, but I'm making this post for noting things down for myself and giving spoilers anyway, so go ahead or leave.

I'd like to thank anon once again for exactly knowing how to get me interested in a title. I hope we cross paths again.

I'm a basic newcomer old shoujo fan and I have only read part of Kazeki from the original, so I was pretty optimistic going into Hensoukyoku. Well, it was harder to read than I thought it would be. In particular, I wanted to kill myself every time Bob (aka "this guy") opened his mouth. Maybe that's because I was trying to translate things in my mind while reading it, which I shouldn't have done. Assuming that my linguistic skills would be enough to translate Takemiya is ridiculous.

I like volume 1's cover so much that I eventually want to buy this edition. By the way, a strange thing I noticed about Takemiya's works: Not all of them are available on regular e-book sites. I wanted to buy the digital editon because it'll be some time before I can import something from Japan, but it was on sale only on EBJ, and EBJ doesn't even let baka gaijins like me to register to their site. So your only chance is to ask someone who already has an account there, or go physical. We are being forced into piracy here, Japan.

But what's it about? You have this Austrian child prodigy, Wolfgang Richter, and this Spanish rebellious violinist boy, Eduardo Soltie. Their love for music brings them together, and we accompany them on their journey for about 20 years in 3 (in the bunkoban version, 2) volumes. While the two has the BL attraction towards each other, but to me, it felt like theirs bordered on bromance as Eduardo is very much in love with Anette, Wolfie's sister, and constantly busy being gay with Bob, and Wolfie marries his childhood friend before anything goes anywhere between those two and dies (of course, he has his own obligatory Bob phase). I expected to see a tragic love story between Wolf and Ed just looking at the random images from the manga, but was denied. But forget them, and just remember this: Every boy in this story wants Bob.

If you are a male under the age of 20 and you can resist the charms of this man, congratulations. You probably have some sort of disease, because this man is a walking bishounen magnet.

"Please, don't say anything to my mother." - Yes Nino, if I was your mother, I wouldn't want to know that the guy who boned my dead brother and my cheating, failure-of-a-father husband also boned my precious son. Poor Anette.

The story is not a conventionally constructed one. We know right from the beginning Wolf died young, and with each chapter, we are presented with a different part of his life. Especially the first chapters can be overwhelming because of this narrative choice, because most relations are established from the get-go, we get no classic character introductions. Personally, I had a hard time processing how the Spanish Revolutionary movement fit in this story and why we suddenly got a cholera epidemic. But as you read on, all the pieces get together and you see the whole picture. Some of the same events are told through different characters' POV throughout the story, a technique I like a lot. If I had to choose, I'd say "Andalusian Love Song" is the most important part of the story. It had the most amount of Wolf, and feels like a "main story" the most while the others (especially the ones in vol. 2) have this "side story" feeling. They are so much fun to read though. I liked Rimbaud to Verlaine no you ni in particular which was about Bob being salty about the newlywed Ed hitting on every girl in Paris.

godiwishthatboywasme.jpg

Speaking of parts, based on the digital edition, they are:

Volume 1

1974: Virentz Monogatari (ヴィレンツ物語-Virentz Story) - This chapter is scanlated by Golden Roze Scans, and is the only part available in English to readers.

1976: Hensoukyoku (変奏曲-Variation)

1976: Andalusia Koiuta (アンダルシア恋歌-Andalusian Love Song)

Volume 2

1978: Koutei Enbukyoku (皇帝円舞曲-Emperor Waltz)

1978: Variation (ヴァリアシオン)

1979: Itoko Doushi (いとこ同志-Cousins)

1981-2: Kanon (カノン-Canon)

1979: Nino Alexis-Sono Tabiji (ニーノ・アレクシス　その旅路-Nino Alexis's Journey)

1975: Tsubakiyakata no San Akunin (椿館の三悪人-Three Enfants Terribles of the Camellia Mansion)

1977: Rimbaud to Verlaine no you ni (ランボーとヴェルレーヌのように-Like Rimbaud and Verlaine)

At times, it felt like Takemiya crammed a 10-volume long story into 3, and the timeskip kind of feels out of place, now that I think about it. But hey, don't think I'm complaining, we've got lots of bishounen and 70s melodrama thanks to this manga being what it is. Although I would have liked more tears and angst in my drama, I still very much enjoyed reading Hensoukyoku. Here are the examples of the content I want to see in my manga:

-"I will never forgive you if you die." - I wish all kabedons were sad like this one. Also yanderEduardo is precious. Wolf is preciousness itself <3

-"If you are going to die anyway, die in my arms!" - Okay ngl, this really pulled at my heartstrings. I'm a sucker for this kind of drama. Also I must mention that Takemiya didn't give Wolf the "mysterious shoujo heart disease", commonly known as "SHINZOUBYOU", but an actual heart disease that fit his situation. He had tetralogy of Fallot. I asked a doctor friend what this condition was, and she said the exact same things the doctor in the manga said. It made everything extra sad.

Takemiya did a nice job in writing her characters into the existing world, and I can't believe I'm not reading a fictitious story. This is Wikipedia-level knowledge, but seeing how Takemiya drew this manga based on Masuyama Norie's (who later wrote Kazeki's spin-off novel, Kami no Kohitsuji) experiences as a music student, this makes sense. My only gripe is that, although the story is taking place in the 1960s and 1970s, things almost felt a little bit 19th century to me at times. But that's 70s shoujo for you, Europe was the fairytale land at the time and no one wants to see the modern world in there.

"Can I stay over tonight?" - It was almost unsettling how much Ed reminded me of Gilbert (and sometimes Marion). But then again, mon pauvre Gilbert didn't get to live until his age ;_;

Once my brain recovers from reading this, I hope to read another Takemiya BL I have my eyes on.

[grindhousefunhouse]

BLAXPLOITATION BAADASSSS SONGS VOL. 1 | 70's Soul | Movie Theme Songs | GRINDHOUSE FUNHOUSE JUKEBOX

Welcome to another edition of Grindhouse Funhouse's Jukebox!

This time around, it's all about that sweet 70's soul music heard throughout that era in one of the best genre of films Blaxploitation Cinema.

I'm giving you all the classics (and one from the best homage to the genre) in a tight 30-minute playlist.

Stay tuned for more video songs playlists of Blaxploitation and Horror movies to come!

Tracklist :

01. Across 110th Street [1972] | Bobby Womack & Peace - "Across 110th Street" ( 00:11 ) 02. Willie Dynamite [1973] | J.J. Johnson (Vocals by Martha Reeves & The Sweet Things) - "Willie D" ( 03:56 ) 03. Coffy [1973] | Roy Ayers - "Coffy Is The Color" ( 08:02 ) 04. The Mack [1973] | Willie Hutch - "Theme Of The Mack" ( 10:59 ) 05. Truck Turner [1974] | Issac Hayes - "Truck Turner" ( 15:32 ) 06. Hell Up In Harlem [1974] | Edwin Starr - "Ain't It Hell Up In Harlem" ( 18:14 ) 07. Three The Hard Way [1974] | The Impressions - "Three The Hard Way (Chase & Theme)" ( 20:54 ) 08. Boss Ni$%er [1974] | Terrible Tom - "Boss Ni$%er" ( 24:08 ) 09. Dolemite [1975] | Ben Taylor - "Dolemite" ( 25:48 ) 10. Black Dynamite [2009] | Adrian Younge (Vocals By LaVan Davis) - "Black Dynamite Theme" ( 28:48 )

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[hardcoregamer]

Review: Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 1

Overall, Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 1 is an excellent collection for tactical RPG fans. The genre can often be pigeon-holed into being full of FFT clones, but both included games here manage to nicely stand out both from that series and NIS America’s own Disgaea. With a variety of tones offered up in each game, they each help scratch the itch for SRPG fans while also working for those wanting a more serious experience in Soul Nomad or who want to kick back with a light-hearted tale with Phantom Brave.

Read more!

https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-prinny-presents-nis-classics-vol-1/408968/

[rowdarker]

Gundam Games

Arcade[edit]

See also:

Arcade game

Gundam: Battle Simulator

Mobile Suit Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam: Final Shooting

Mobile Suit Gundam: EX Revue

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Card Builder

Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds of the Battlefield

Mobile Suit Gundam: Spirits of Zeon - Dual Stars of Carnage

Mobile Suit Gundam: Spirits of Zeon - Memory of Soldier

Mobile Suit Gundam VS Series

Quiz Mobile Suit Gundam: Monsenshi

Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon

Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon DX

Mobile Suit Z Gundam: A.E.U.G. vs. Titans

Mobile Suit Z Gundam: A.E.U.G. vs. Titans DX

Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. II

Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam Next

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Full Boost

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS Force

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON

Gundam Versus

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. 2

Fujitsu[edit]

FM-7

[

edit

]

Kidou Senshi Gundam Part 1: Gundam Daishi ni Tatsu

Kidou Senshi Gundam Part 2: Tobe Gundam

FM Towns

[

edit

]

Mobile Suit Gundam: Hyper Classic Operation

Mobile Suit Gundam: Hyper Desert Operation

MSX[edit]

Mobile Suit Gundam: Last Shooting

MS Field: Kidou Senshi Gundam

MS Field Kidou Senshi Gundam Plus Kit

MS Field Kidou Senshi Gundam Plus Kit Tsuki

NEC[edit]

PC-88

[

edit

]

Kidou Senshi Gundam Part 1: Gundam Daishi ni Tatsu

Kidou Senshi Gundam Part 2: Tobe Gundam

PC-98

[

edit

]

Kidou Senshi Gundam Part 1: Gundam Daishi ni Tatsu

Mobile Suit Gundam: Return of Zeon

Mobile Suit Gundam: A Year of War

Mobile Suit Gundam: Advanced Operation

Mobile Suit Gundam: Multiple Operation

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Operation

MS Field: Mobile Suit Gundam

MS Field 2 '92: Mobile Suit Gundam

Sharp[edit]

Sharp X1

[

edit

]

Kidou Senshi Gundam Part 1: Gundam Daishi ni Tatsu

Kidou Senshi Gundam Part 2: Tobe Gundam

Sharp X68000

[

edit

]

Mobile Suit Gundam: Classic Operation

Mobile Suit Gundam: Classic Operation - Original Scenario Disk

PC[edit]

Gundam Network Operation

Gundam Network Operation 2

Gundam Network Operation 3

Gundam Storm (Browser-Based) - Service terminated

Mobile Suit Gundam 0079: The War For Earth - 1996 interactive movie collaboration between Bandai and Presto Studios Inc. Also released for Macintosh, PlayStation (JP release only) and Pippin.

Mobile Suit Gundam Online

New Gundam Breaker

SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Online

SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays

Universal Century Gundam Online

Bandai[edit]

Arcadia[

edit

]See also:

Arcadia_2001

Mobile Suit Gundam

Bandai RX-78[

edit

]See also:

Bandai RX-78

Gundam - Luna II no Tatakai

Playdia[

edit

]See also:

Playdia

SD Gundam Daizukan

Apple Bandai Pippin[

edit

]

Gundam Tactics Mobility Fleet 0079

WonderSwan[

edit

]See also:

WonderSwan

Mobile Suit Gundam: MSVS

SD Gundam G Generation: Gather Beat

SD Gundam: Emotional Jam

WonderSwan Color[

edit

]See also:

WonderSwan Color

SD Gundam G Generation: Gather Beat 2

SD Gundam G Generation: Monoeye Gundams

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

Gundam Strike Force Go !!!: Stairway to the Destined Victory: Worldwide Edition

Mobile Suit Gundam: Operation U.C.

Nintendo[edit]

Family Computer[

edit

]See also:

Nintendo Entertainment System

Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Hot Scramble

SD Gundam Gaiden: Knight Gundam Monogatari

SD Gundam Gaiden: Knight Gundam Monogatari 2

SD Gundam Gaiden: Knight Gundam Monogatari 3

SD Gundam World Gachapon Senshi - Scramble Wars

SD Gundam World Gachapon Senshi 2 - Capsule Senki

SD Gundam World Gachapon Senshi 3 - Eiyû Senki

SD Gundam World Gachapon Senshi 4 - New Type Story

SD Gundam World Gachapon Senshi 5 - Battle of Universal Century

SD Gundam: Gundam Wars

Super Famicom[

edit

]See also:

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Mobile Suit Gundam: Cross Dimension 0079 - Tactical role-playing game

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: Away to the Newtype - Tactical role-playing game

Mobile Suit Gundam F91: Formula Wars 0122

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam - 2D fighting game

Mobile Fighter G Gundam - 2D fighting game

Shin Kidō Senki Gundam Wing: Endless Duel - 2D fighting game

SD Gundam: G Next - Turn-based strategy

SD Gundam: GX - Turn-based strategy

SD Gundam Gaiden: Knight Gundam Monogatari - Ooinaru Isan - Japanese role playing game

SD Gundam Gaiden 2: Entaku no Kishi - Japanese role playing game

SD Gundam Generation - Tactical role-playing game

SD Gundam: Power Formation Puzzle - Puzzle games

SD Gundam: V Sakusen Shidō - Shoot 'em up with Run and gun stages

SD Gundam 2 - Shoot 'em up with Run and gun stages

Super Gachapon World: SD Gundam X - Turn-based strategy

GameCube[

edit

]See also:

GameCube

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Ace Pilot

Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam (Only in Japan)

SD Gundam Gashapon Wars

Wii[

edit

]See also:

Wii

Mobile Suit Gundam: MS Sensen 0079

SD Gundam G Generation Wars

SD Gundam G Generation World

SD Gundam: Scad Hammers

SD Gundam Gashapon Wars

Nintendo Switch[

edit

]See also:

Nintendo Switch

SD Gundam G Generation Genesis

SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays

Game Boy[

edit

]See also:

Game Boy

SD Gundam G-Arms

SD Gundam Gaiden: Lacroan Heroes

SD Gundam: SD Sengokuden Kuni Nusiri Monogatari

SD Gundam: SD Sengokuden 2 - Tenka Touitsuhen

SD Gundam: SD Sengokuden 3 - Chijou Saikyouhen'

Shin SD Gundam Gaiden

Virtual Boy[

edit

]See also:

Virtual Boy

SD Gundam Dimension War

Game Boy Advance[

edit

]See also:

Game Boy Advance

SD Gundam G Generation Advance

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Tomo to Kimi to koko de

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Destiny

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Battle Assault

SD Gundam Force

Nintendo DS[

edit

]See also:

Nintendo DS

SD Gundam G Generation DS

SD Gundam G Generation: Cross Drive

Mobile Suit Gundam 00

Emblem of Gundam

SD gundam Sangokuden DS

Nintendo 3DS[

edit

]See also:

Nintendo 3DS

SD Gundam G Generation 3D

Gundam the 3D Battle

Gundam Try Age SP

Sony[edit]

PlayStation[

edit

]See also:

PlayStation

Mobile Suit Gundam (1995)

Mobile Suit Gundam v.2.0 (1996)

Mobile Suit Gundam 0079: The War For Earth (1997)

Gundam: Battle Assault

Gundam: Battle Assault 2

Kidou Butouden G Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (1998)

Mobile Suit Gundam: Giren's Greed, Blood of Zeon

Mobile Suit Gundam: Perfect One Year War

SD Gundam G Century

SD Gundam G Generation

SD Gundam G Generation Zero

SD Gundam G Generation F

SD Gundam G Generation F-IF

Mobile Suit Z-Gundam

PlayStation 2[

edit

]See also:

PlayStation 2

Mobile Suit Gundam: Gihren's Ambition

Giren no Yabou: Zeon Dokuritsu Sensouden - Kouryaku Shireisho

Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo

Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front

Mobile Suit Gundam: Lost War Chronicles

Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space

Mobile Suit Gundam: The One Year War

Mobile Suit Gundam: Climax U.C.

SD Gundam G Generation Neo

SD Gundam G Generation SEED

SD Gundam G Generation Spirits

SD Gundam G Generation Wars

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Never Ending Tomorrow

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny: Generation of C.E.

Gundam Battle Assault 3 Featuring Gundam SEED

Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon

Mobile Suit Gundam Z: AEUG vs. Titans

Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam

Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. II

Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Gundam Meisters

MS Saga: A New Dawn

G-Saviour

SD Gundam Force: Showdown!

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2

PlayStation 3[

edit

]See also:

PlayStation 3

Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire (a.k.a. Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight)

Mobile Suit Gundam Battlefield Record U.C. 0081

Mobile Suit Gundam: Side Stories - combines six games released for Sega Saturn, Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, and includes new campaign that connects all releases together with Gundam Unicorn

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3

Dynasty Warriors Gundam Reborn

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Full Boost

Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Full Boost Premium G Sound

Gundam Breaker

Gundam Breaker 2

Gundam Battle Operation

Gundam Battle Operation Next

PlayStation 4[

edit

]See also:

PlayStation 4

SD Gundam G Generation Genesis

SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays

Gundam Breaker 3

New Gundam Breaker

Gundam Versus

Gundam Battle Operation Next

Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 2

Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS. Maxiboost On

PlayStation Portable[

edit

]See also:

PlayStation Portable

Gundam Battle Tactics

Gundam Battle Royale

Gundam Battle Chronicle

Gundam Battle Universe

Gundam Assault Survive

SD Gundam G Generation Portable

SD Gundam G Generation World

SD Gundam G Generation Over World

Mobile Suit Gundam: Giren no Yabou - Axis no Kyoui

Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam NEXT PLUS

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Federation vs. Z.A.F.T. Portable

Mobile Suit Gundam: Senjou no Kizuna Portable

Mobile Suit Gundam: Mokuba no Kiseki

Gundam Memories: Tatakai no Kioku

Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Universe Accel

Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Cosmic Drive

PlayStation Vita[

edit

]See also:

PlayStation Vita

SD Gundam G Generation Genesis

Kidō Senshi Gundam SEED Battle Destiny

Gundam Breaker

Gundam Breaker 2

Gundam Breaker 3

Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs Force

Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Fortress

Gundam Conquest V

Dynasty Warriors Gundam Reborn

3rd Super Robot Wars Z Zigokuhen

Sega[edit]

Game Gear[

edit

]See also:

Game Gear

SD Gundam: Winner's History

Sega Saturn[

edit

]See also:

Sega Saturn

Mobile Suit Gundam

Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Kouhen

Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Zenpen

Mobile Suit Gundam: Gihren's Greed

Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny Vol. 1

Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny Vol. 2

Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny Vol. 3

SD Gundam G Century S

Dreamcast[

edit

]See also:

Dreamcast

Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise from the Ashes

Mobile Suit Gundam Gihren's Greed - Blood of Zeon

Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation Vs. Zeon DX

Gundam Battle Online

Microsoft[edit]

Xbox 360[

edit

]See also:

Xbox 360

Mobile Ops: The One Year War

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3

[lonewolfandcub123]

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 1 - Phantom Brave & Soul Nomad

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 9/30/20

Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter, Vol. 6 | By Reai and Suki Umemiya | Seven Seas – Another series down to “once a year” release—I had to jog my memory at the start to recall what had been happening. Many things are going wrong for our heroine, who is trying to be strong and tough but is also starting to break down, and I felt that the scenes with her and Dean struck just the right balance of comforting and letting the heroine cry without making her seem weaker. This sets the stage for her comeback, which is extraordinary. (And also has a corrupt Church, a constant in Japanese light novels, though at least here there are also honest and good religious people in it.) That said, eventually Dean’s identity will come out, and I do wonder how this very good “villainess” isekai will handle it. – Sean Gaffney

The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Jack Flash and the Faerie Case Files, Vol. 1 | By Yu Godai, Mako Oikawa, and Kore Yamazaki | Seven Seas – A faerie switched at birth for a human child, Jack never fit in in either world. Only in the mortal realm could she earn money for anime collectibles, however, so she decided to make herself into a tough, capable woman like her literary heroes and set up shop as a detective. Together with her fellow changeling, Larry the werewolf, Jack takes on supernatural cases in New York City. In this volume, Lindel tasks them with tracking down a missing dragon egg. I liked the resources Jack uses to obtain information, which include a dapper theatre ghost and a spell with components of rat whiskers and taxi tires because “Nobody out there knows this city better than them.” I still found this a bit hard to get into, though, especially the parts involving a perpetually tearful off-off-off-off-Broadway actress and her pickpocket boyfriend. Still, I will check out volume two! – Michelle Smith

Black Clover, Vol. 22 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – At long last, this interminable arc comes to an end. I enjoyed a lot of it, but I cannot deny it should have been about two volumes shorter. Most of the book is taken up by shonen battles, with the villain being nigh unkillable, the heroes almost breaking themselves to stop him, etc. Fortunately, the day is saved, and even the Wizard King turns out to be… sort of alive again? Shota fans should be happy. Asta fans perhaps less so—the sheer amount of damage done to the kingdom in this arc means someone has to be blamed, and give Asta has the “dark evil magic” it’s gonna be him, especially when he takes the incredibly obvious bait they use to get him to fight. Oh well, if Asta were smart, this wouldn’t be Black Clover. – Sean Gaffney

Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, Vol. 3 | By Nanashi | Vertical Comics – Part of the problem with titles like this and the other teasing works (Takagi-san less so as Nishikata doesn’t fall into the category) is that they are, at heart, the classic “extroverted girl acts overtly extroverted to bring introverted guy out of their shell,” and that’s not really a plot that feels comfortable in the Gen Z days, where you’re more likely to say “why doesn’t she just let him be in his quiet, safe space?” And by she I mean they, as Nagatoro’s two friends appear far more often here, which offers some good two-way teasing action, as they clearly see her crush on him, if not why. It’s still sort of hard to read, but if you pretend he’s more OK with it than he actually is, this is cute. – Sean Gaffney

Failed Princesses, Vol. 1 | By Ajiichi | Seven Seas – The concept of “popular girl meets unpopular girl” is a common one in yuri manga, and we do indeed hit several of its tropes in this first volume. The amusing thing is that Kanade, the shy outcast girl, is perfectly aware of how things are supposed to go, and keeps pulling back a bit to try to save Nanaki from, well, making herself an outcast by associating with the wrong people. The best part of the volume is that Nanaki really doesn’t give two shits about any of that, and seems set on making Kanade her best friend… and also making her over, which backfires a bit as Kanade cleans up nicely. I hear this gets a bit dramatic later, but for the moment it’s a cute and fluffy proto-yuri story. – Sean Gaffney

In/Spectre, Vol. 12 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Comics – The first story in this volume is another “Rikka tries to make people understand Kotoko is an evil Machiavellian schemer,” this time with one of her ex-classmates, but again the response seems to be “we know she’s a manipulative bitch, but she’s a good person anyway.” The larger story, which will continue into the next book, seems to be a chance to write Kuro and Kotoko as an actual romance, as the man we meet here and his relationship with a yuki-onna… as well as his penchant for attracting misfortune… very much parallel them. That said, they’re very cute together, which is why I hope he avoids the murder charge he’s now being investigated for. Still a favorite. – Sean Gaffney

Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 8 | By Petos | Kodansha Comics – The author knows what people want to see, but also knows that the best way to get readers is to drive them crazy by not showing it. We finally get what we’ve been begging for here, as Tetsuo asks Sakie out on a date. (This is after rejecting Kyouko’s love confession, both because she’s his student and also, as he is forced to admit, as he likes Sakie.) The stage is set for the date… and the rest of the book is thus spent with the three main student girls going to Kyouko’s for a fireworks viewing and meeting her family. They’re good chapters, and I really liked showing how difficult Kyouko has it as a dullahan in terms of everyday life, but GOD, please get back to the teachers, I beg you! – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 16 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – The series has gotten to the point where the more rewarding chapters are the ones as part of a larger arc. Not that the one-shot chapters are bad—though Maki’s journey to India may be the most pointless thing in this entire series to date, we do get Chika’s iconic “shut up or I’ll kill you” here. But the larger arcs, featuring Miyuki and Kaguya attempting to date without interruptions, and setting up Ishigami and Iino for a romance—though given the number of limbs broken in this book, and Iino’s own horrible lack of self-awareness, it may be a ways out—are better. This series is still hilarious, but we’ve come to read it more for the heartwarming moments. Heck, there’s even some serious drama here. Very good. – Sean Gaffney

Nineteen | By Ancco | Drawn & Quarterly – Although it was translated and released second in English, Nineteen is a precursor to Ancco’s internationally award-winning manhwa Bad Friends. The volume collects thirteen short comics originally published in Korea over a decade ago which absolutely remain relevant to today’s world. While understandably not as polished as some of Ancco’s later work—one can observe her style evolving and growing over the course of the collection (which is fascinating)—the comics still carry significant emotional weight and impact. Nineteen includes diary comics, which tend to be more lighthearted, as well as harder-hitting fictional stories, many of which also have autobiographical inspiration. As a whole, the collection explores themes of young adulthood, growing up, and complicated family relationships. In particular, there is a compelling focus on the relationships among daughters, mothers, and grandmothers. Some of the narratives can be rather bleak, but a resigned sense of humor threads through Nineteen, too. – Ash Brown

Ran the Peerless Beauty, Vol. 8 | By Ammitsu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Shoujo manga that has couples getting together BEFORE the end of the series is inevitably going to have an arc dealing with how far the lead couple should go now that they’re dating, and this is Ran’s turn, as she and Akira and their friends go to a beach house Ran’s family owns and have some beach fun. Unfortunately, the cast gets winnowed down one by one until it’s just the two of them… and her overprotective father, who arrives in time to provide the cliffhanger and no doubt ensure that nookie does not ensue. Not that I think it should—these two kids are even purer than the couple from Kimi ni Todoke, and I think they should mature a bit more before going further. Plus, watching them blush and kiss is wonderful. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 2 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – Having spent our first volume establishing that our found family can really come to love each other deep down, this volume shows off how they are also, at heart, fundamentally awkward and unable to socialize normally. This is unsurprising—hints of Loid’s life we’ve seen show him as a war orphan, Yor is a contract killer, and Anya basically grew up being experimented on by bad guys. As the school soon finds, this leads to issues. The second half of the book introduces Yor’s sister-obsessed little brother Yuri, who turns out to be a torture expert for Loid’s enemies. As always, half the fun is that everyone except Anya has no idea who their real selves are, and the cliffhanger tells us we’re in for some hilarious family fun. I love this. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 2 | By Tatsuya Endo | VIZ Media – After a brief spell atop the waiting list, Anya officially makes it into Eden Academy. Loid is anxious to progress to the next stage of his mission and, believing there’s not much chance in turning Anya into an elite scholar like his agency wants, focuses instead on having her befriend the younger son of his target. It does not go to plan, of course. Anya is very cute in this volume, and I also really appreciated how Loid genuinely listens to Yor and values her input. The arrival of Yor’s brother, a member of the secret police, is going to be a fun complication, and another cast member with a secret, but my favorite part of this series is probably always going to be how much love these three are already feeling for each other. So unique and good! – Michelle Smith

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 6 | By Tomo Hirokawa, based on the story by Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – The weakness of this manga is the same as always—it’s written to tie into the games, and features several characters I just don’t recognize, which can be a problem given this is the big final let’s-save-the-world ending. That said, this is still a decent SAO title. Kirito gets to be cool and badass, but because this isn’t written just by Kawahara others do as well, and it’s a nice balanced effort that focuses on heroine Premiere. I also really liked the point where all the NPCs are worried when everyone has to log out for several days for maintenance. While I’ll still remember this as the “SAO only everyone is alive” manga, I enjoyed reading it, when I wasn’t confused. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

[coffeebased]

I won’t be the first or last person to marvel at how quickly February whizzed past, especially in comparison to January’s gauntlet. To be completely fair to February, it had the ongoing COVID-19 international epidemic, as well as the ABS-CBN shutdown crisis, the anti-terrorism bill, the reminder that historical revisionism re: the Marcos dictatorship is alive and well… and those were just the actual headlines.

I must digress before I spiral.

I read 12 books in February, half of which were newly released in this month. I’ve split my post up into three parts like I did last month: one-shots, parts of series, and re-reads. It seems to be working well for me.

  Prosper’s Demon by K.J. Parker

The unnamed and morally questionable narrator is an exorcist with great follow-through and few doubts. His methods aren’t delicate but they’re undeniably effective: he’ll get the demon out—he just doesn’t particularly care what happens to the person.

Prosper of Schanz is a man of science, determined to raise the world’s first philosopher-king, reared according to the purest principles. Too bad he’s demonically possessed.

After I read Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City last year, I knew that I wanted more by Parker. I considered delving into his back catalog, which I still will probably do, but I saw that he was releasing a new book in Feb 2020, so I jumped on that first. Prosper’s is exactly up my alley, what with the discussions of morality and the greater good with demons, and quite a bit of engineering. I’d admired the voice of the main character in Sixteen because he was dry and very caught up in doing what needed to be done, and the main character has the same appealing values. It’s a short read, but it sticks in the teeth and fills the belly.

  Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher

Stephen’s god died on the longest day of the year…

Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind…

Kingfisher, also known as Ursula Vernon, tends to write capable and damaged characters falling in with each other and foiling plots. She also tends to write paladins very well, which is a personal delight. I always enjoy a Kingfisher story, because the characters do the sensible thing more often than not, and she deals with trauma very compassionately, from what I suspect is a personal viewpoint. Her books are also usually very funny, very disturbing, and no-nonsense, scratching that Terry Pratchett Witch itch when I miss him very much. Grace is along the same lines, with a good solid HEA that leaves everyone, including the reader, satisfied.

  Kindred, a Graphic Novel Adaptation by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and illustrated by John Jennings

I lost an arm on my last trip home.

Home is a new house with a loving husband in 1970s California that suddenly transformed in to the frightening world of the antebellum South.

Dana, a young black writer, can’t explain how she is transported across time and space to a plantation in Maryland. But she does quickly understand why: to deal with the troubles of Rufus, a conflicted white slaveholder–and her progenitor.

Her survival, her very existence, depends on it.

This searing graphic-novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s science fiction classic is a powerfully moving, unflinching look at the violent disturbing effects of slavery on the people it chained together, both black and white–and made kindred in the deepest sense of the word.

Kindred, the novel, is on my Next 20s list. I had meant to read it before I read the GN, but picked up the graphic novel based on a friend’s recommendation. The graphic novel is searingly painful, and I enjoyed reading it, but there are parts of it that feel slightly disjointed. I’m not sure if it’s because of the time travel, or if it’s an adaptation problem. It made me want to read the novel immediately, which is what I am reading right now. I don’t think that I’ll be able to properly synthesise my thoughts about this book until I’ve read the original.

    Mirror: The Mountain and The Nest by Emma Rios and Hwei Lim

A mysterious asteroid hosts a collection of strange creatures – man-animal hybrids, mythological creatures made flesh, guardian spirits, cursed shadows – and the humans who brought them to life. But this strange society exists in an uneasy truce, in the aftermath of uprisings seeking freedom and acceptance, that have only ended in tragedy. As the ambitious, the desperate and the hopeful inhabitants of the asteroid struggle to decide their shared fate, a force greater than either animal or human seems to be silently watching the conflict, waiting for either side to finally answer the question: what is worthy of being human?

Recommended to me by a new friend who’d heard I was into sci-fi and graphic novels, who absolutely hit the nail on the head with this rec. The art is beautiful, dreamy, and layered, and it keeps you tied to the story as the authors build what is a magnificent construction in your head. The authors do some really lovely things with timeskips that I have no idea how to talk about without spoiling anything, and I only regret that we weren’t able to linger through the second volume. I’m don’t know why there isn’t more of Mirror, but I do appreciate how they tied everything up as well as they could in two volumes. Looking forward to more like this in the future.

  Heartstopper: Volume Three by Alice Oseman

In this volume we’ll see the Heartstopper gang go on a school trip to Paris! Not only are Nick and Charlie navigating a new city, but also telling more people about their relationship AND learning more about the challenges each other are facing in private…

Meanwhile Tao and Elle will face their feelings for each other, Tara and Darcy share more about their relationship origin story, and the teachers supervising the trip seem… rather close…?

You can read all of Heartstopper and its future updates here. Heartstopper is a lovely slice of life comic, PG13 at best, that really takes me back to my own mid-teens. The story is centered around the developing relationship of two young boys, Charlie and Nick, and it really deals with it respectfully. It tackles a lot of teen issues without being too preachy about it, which is probably the least inspiring thing I could have written about it, and integrates it deftly into the story. The art style is adorable and really complements the sweet story. This volume, just released this month, revolves around a class trip to Paris, and there are some shenanigans that you’ll have to read for yourself.

  Sixty Six Book 2 by Russell Molina and Mikey Marchan

Kuwento ni Celestino Cabal. Kabebertdey niya lang. Mayroon siyang natanggap na regalo na ngayo’y unti-unti niyang binubuksan. Ika nga ng matatanda, “Huli man daw at magaling, maihahabol din.”

The story of Celestino Cabal. His birthday has just passed. He received a gift that he now gets to open, bit by bit. As the old saying goes, “Better late than never.”

This is the synopsis of the first book. There isn’t an official synopsis for the second book online, and I hesitate to write my own. Sixty Six Book 2 was released during February Komiket, and since I had been waiting for it for a few years, I had to go to the event even though everyone’s been iffy about going into crowded spaces due to COVID-19. I was excited to read this but unfortunately, I don’t think it capitalised on the foundation set in Book 1. The artist was different, and I admired their work on a technical level, as well as their humorous use of WASAK as a sound effect. I don’t know if there’ll be a third book, but the author has made themselves a little leeway for that possibility at the end of this volume.

  Thank You, Jeeves, Jeeves #5 by P.G. Wodehouse

The odds are stacked against Chuffy when he falls head over heels for American heiress Pauline Stoker. Who better to help him win her over but Jeeves, the perfect gentleman’s gentleman. But when Bertie, Pauline’s ex-fiance finds himself caught up in the fray, much to his consternation, even Jeeves struggles to get Chuffy his fairy-tale ending.

This book was in my next 20s! So I’m accomplishing one of my 2020 reading goals, yay! But hot damn there is some racist language in this book. Every time I was finally sinking into the story boom! Racist language! And I know that it was because of the time it was published, like I know that academically, but oof. That aside, the story is solid. It’s a comedy of manners AND errors with Jeeves ex machina, as per usual, but this is the first full Jeeves novel I’ve read, the rest were short story collections, and it was good to see the characters take more space. It certainly made the comedic payoff a lot stronger.

But oof.

  Die Vol. 2: Split the Party by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles

No one can escape DIE until everyone agrees to go home. Or rather, no one can escape DIE until everyone who is alive agrees to go home. The second arc of the commercial and critical hit of bleakly romantic fantasy fiction starts to reveal the secrets of the world, and our heroes’ pasts. Yes, they can’t escape DIE. They also can’t escape themselves. Collects issues #6-10 of DIE

CHARACTERISATION. There’s a lot more breathing space in this newly-released volume of Die and I live for that! The first volume was a lot of the characters running from one place to the next and we, as readers, were being given the sense of setting. But volume two, you can feel Gillen just finally branching out and hitting us with their joined histories. I want to see more of how these older players will be dealing with the actions of their teenage selves, and I think the third volume will really show what the comic’s capable of. I’m really looking forward to that.

  False Value, Rivers of London #8 by Ben Aaronovitch

Peter Grant is facing fatherhood, and an uncertain future, with equal amounts of panic and enthusiasm. Rather than sit around, he takes a job with émigré Silicon Valley tech genius Terrence Skinner’s brand new London start up – the Serious Cybernetics Company.

Drawn into the orbit of Old Street’s famous ‘silicon roundabout’, Peter must learn how to blend in with people who are both civilians and geekier than he is. Compared to his last job, Peter thinks it should be a doddle. But magic is not finished with Mama Grant’s favourite son.

Because Terrence Skinner has a secret hidden in the bowels of the SCC. A technology that stretches back to Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage, and forward to the future of artificial intelligence. A secret that is just as magical as it technological – and just as dangerous.

The last Rivers of London book finished the first major arc of the series. It was a succession of explosions contained in a novel. So I was wondering what kind of tone Aaronovitch would be setting with False Value. Would it be all action, immediately? A filler story? I just wanted more Peter Grant. It could literally be an entire novel of Peter going to America to visit the Smithsonian museums and I would be on that.

False Value is a slow story but does a lot of table setting for the next arc. While the case of the book feels very small and contained, you can see that they’re being pulled into the larger world of magic. I did have a hard time with the first few chapters, but I’m not sure if this is a problem of the book, or because I sailed straight into it after the Jeeves book I had been reading.

I finished the book too quickly and now I have to wait for the next one. Bother.

    The Thief, The Queen’s Thief #1 by Megan Whalen Turner

The king’s scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king’s prison. The magus is interested only in the thief’s abilities.

What Gen is interested in is anyone’s guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses.

It’s March now, so my friends and I are starting on the second book in our read-along of The Queen’s Thief. I wrote last month that I was worried about how my friends would take the series, but really I needn’t have thought about it at all. The book stands well on its own, and my friends all got into the story. I hesitate to say that they loved it because there are four more books in the series, but they were definitely into it. Some of them had a hard time sticking to the two chapters a day schedule because Turner’s prose really just pulls you in.

I still love Gen, and I’m excited to relive his character growth.

  The Farthest Shore, The Earthsea Cycle #3

Darkness threatens to overtake Earthsea. As the world and its wizards are losing their magic, Ged — powerful Archmage, wizard, and dragonlord — embarks on a sailing journey with highborn young prince, Arren. They travel far beyond the realm of death to discover the cause of these evil disturbances and to restore magic to a land desperately thirsty for it.

I’m reading Tehanu, the last book of the Cycle, now, and I’m scared of ending the series. It’s given me so much joy and peace these past few months. I slipped right into it after finishing The Farthest Shore, remembering that they overlap slightly, and that’s done a lot to soften the blow of the third book. Re-reading Farthest at this age, when things have been losing their colour and flavour, where I have to fight harder to keep myself honest and keep myself ‘good’, hits differently. I’ve been recovering, and the bitterness that Ged has over the loss of his mastery is too real to me. Of course, it’s a good book, but it hurts.

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All right, that’s it for now. I’ll probably be popping in to post a little about Komiket and some other things I’ve been reading next week or so, so please keep a weather eye out for that next post!

February Reading Round-Up I won't be the first or last person to marvel at how quickly February whizzed past, especially in comparison to January's gauntlet.