#Wand of Fortune CG

[cleaetpauline60]

Wand of Fortune R

Est Rinaudo - CG (4)

[nucleon-artistry]

Thaumcraft moved on from wands in Tc6, so I wanted to do some service to the various 'casting gauntlets' added by it and some of the addons to it.

Casting Gauntlet "A more modern interpretation of Auromantic manipulation tools, the Caster's gauntlet is built off of studies into the nature of vis in its natural, primal state itself, and how best to harness it without exploiting and potentially destroying the natural sources of aura. thus endangering the balance of the local environment. Initial studies into this topic came from the properties of both the sojourner's wand cap, and the amber wand core. The design of the Gauntlet includes an energized amber lens for the drawing in of vis directly from the local environment, while the ergonomic and practical 'glove' design allows for more direct manipulation of vis as if it were an object one could wield. Some would say this is like reinventing the wheel, and they could very well be right. The iron used in its construction is prone to corrosion through extended use, and personally I would not trust a thin sheet of leather to protect me from all matter of spells that these devices can sling. This is a prototype to eventually be replaced." (Do I reaaaally need to say where its from? -.-)

Silver Plated Casting Gauntlet “Building off of the original design, changing out some fittings with more arcanely aligned metals such as gold and silver provides a slight boost in efficiency, and greatly reduces wear and tear from channeling.” (Not based off of anything actually, but I feel this would be a logical next step for base thaumcraft.)

Thaumium Casting Gauntlet “The charged thaumium that makes up this gauntlet’s build has twofold uses, it both allows for a greatly more efficient channeling tool, and a great bludgeon when vis is not so available. Unfortunately, the nature of thaumium means that its channeling ability degrades with wear and tear, though fortunately not nearly as fast as thaumium wands would.” (Based on Thaumic Revelation’s addition to the CG formula. A greatly appreciated addition tbh)

Elarium Casting Gauntlet “This extremely gaudy tool can directly channel psionic energies into more vis, and it greatly improves the users mechanical ability over the tidal forces of this world. Directly applying so much elarium to oneself however can have some damaging effects on the psyche. Just like with Elarium caps, there are much better uses for the substance than this…” (Not really based on anything, I just wanted to expand the repertoire a bit. This one is more worldbuilding than game design)

Alchemist’s Casting Gauntlet “New. Improved. With 30% more alchemy. This gauntlet is perfect for a burgeoning alchemist, with its highly durable materials, heat and chemical resistant lining, as well as inbuilt pipe management tools, it is a great deal! You can even pump certain essentia into it for a variety of boosts to its efficiency, power, or the like.” (Not really based on anything, I just wanted to expand the repertoire a bit.)

Voidseer’s Casting Gauntlet “It was only logical to take the next step from Thaumium, developing a gauntlet made from both voidmetal and shadowmetal would ensure its survivability long after other gauntlets would be worn out. Its Voidmetal build also allows it to draw in aura faster and more efficiently. It even allows for further tinkering, especially with forces of pure vis harvested from the warp itself, colloquially known as Impetus.” (Based on the Voidmetal gauntlet from Thaumic Augmentation.)

NovaCorp™️ Casting Gauntlet “The latest in aural manipulation and the field of aspectual science as a whole, the Casting Gauntlet (sponsored by NovaCorp™️) will revolutionize how you go about your daily lives! By pulling Aura directly out of the local region into its internal reservoir, it will pretty much always* remain charged! Manipulate arcana! Throw fireballs! Open up t̵͎̾ë̶̡͍́̊͝ä̶̟͚́͝ř̷̦̰̔̋s̸͚̘̮̆̕ ̵̉͑̎͜i̵̡̢͑ņ̷͕͗ ̵͇̑̌͘r̸̗͎̜̎̓e̴̩͊ä̶̞͠l̷̖̓́͠i̶͖̼͈̾͌ṱ̷̰̽̓͐ͅỳ̸̜̥͛! Special thanks to our sponsors the Order of Ascension for making it possible to bring such wonderous devices to people like you.  ˢʰᶦᵖᵖᶦⁿᵍ ᵃⁿᵈ ʰᵃⁿᵈˡᶦⁿᵍ ᶠᵉᵉˢ ᵐᵃʸ ᵃᵖᵖˡʸ. ᴺᵒᵗᵉ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᴬᵘʳᵃ ˡᵉᵛᵉˡˢ ᵐᵃʸ ᵇᵉ ᵈʳᵃˢᵗᶦᶜᵃˡˡʸ ᵈᶦᶠᶠᵉʳᵉⁿᵗ ᵇᵃˢᵉᵈ ᵒⁿ ᵃᵐᵒᵘⁿᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵘˢᵃᵍᵉ ᵒʳ ᵉⁿᵛᶦʳᵒⁿᵐᵉⁿᵗ. ᴺᵒᵛᵃᶜᵒʳᵖ™️ ᶦˢ ⁿᵒᵗ ʳᵉˢᵖᵒⁿˢᶦᵇˡᵉ ᶠᵒʳ ᵉˣᵖᵒˢᵘʳᵉ ᵗᵒ ᶠˡᵘˣ, ᵇᵉᶦⁿᵍˢ ᵇᵉʸᵒⁿᵈ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᶜᵒᵐᵖʳᵉʰᵉⁿˢᶦᵒⁿ, ᵒʳ ᶠᵃˡˡᶦⁿᵍ ᶦⁿᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ᵉᵗᵉʳⁿᵃˡ ᵛᵒᶦᵈ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵃʳᵖ. ᴾˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵃᶜᵗ ᵃ ᵈᵒᶜᵗᵒʳ ᶦᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ᶠᵉᵉˡ ᵈᶦᶻᶻʸ, ˢᵉᵉ ᵛᶦˢᶦᵒⁿˢ ᵒᶠ ᵈᵃʳᵏ ᵃᵖᵖᵃʳᶦᵗᶦᵒⁿˢ, ᶠᵉᵉˡ ˡᶦᵏᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᵃʳᵉ ᵇᵉᶦⁿᵍ ʷᵃᵗᶜʰᵉᵈ ᵃⁿᵈ/ᵒʳ ᶠᵒˡˡᵒʷᵉᵈ, ᵇᵉᵍᶦⁿ ᵗᵒ ᵉˣᵖᵉʳᶦᵉⁿᶜᵉ ⁿᵃᵘˢᵉᵃ, ˢᶦᶜᵏⁿᵉˢˢ, ᵛᵒᵐᶦᵗᶦⁿᵍ ᵒᶠ ᶠˡᵘˣ, ᵒʳ ᵈᵉᵃᵗʰ.” (Based on a personal headcanon that the Crimson Cult have been making use of these types of gauntlets since TC4. But in AEON they aren't the CC, so /shrug)

[ridingthewhitechocobo]

S.

WoF

[senseibait]

these are my honest thoughts

[benichi]

Money Jar and Illusion of Choice

aka Story Jar by NTT Solmare and Love Choice by Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.) Since I haven’t been around much the last few weeks and because I got an ask about it I decided to look at these new ways to “enjoy” Otome games. I already vented about Money-... I mean Love Jar yesterday, and while Voltage isn’t quite as hardcode (yet) it still should be talked about.

I’ll start with Masquerade Kiss, Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.)’s new game which introduces Love Choice as a way to read Main Stories. Apparently the only way for future releases. Though it doesn’t matter much where I start since both of these new “systems” have a lot in common. This is how the Love 365 app greets you currently.

FOR FREE OMG. However as you know nothing in life is free, if you look closely you’ll see “Use hearts to read without wait times ♪”. So literally in the same breath they tell you that this new system is shit. We’ll take a more in-depth look at those wait times later because they play a big role for this entire new system, including the situation in Story Jar. To put the second part into words that aren’t sugar coated “Use money to deepen your affection! If you want to see CG’s and get a satisfactory ending you had better open that wallet of yours cause those are behind a paywall♪“. Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.) is trying to be charming about this but the bottom line is: without money you get the short end of the stick. Which isn’t all bad or uncommon. They are a company so obviously they have to make money. But they’ve come up with quite a cunning way to do just that.

CELEBRATION! NOW OR NEVER! READ THE WHOLE STORY WITHOUT WAITING!!! WHAT A NEW AND REVOLUTIONARY CONCEPT?! HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED BEFORE? Yes. That’s the old system we’ve had until now. Where you pay 4€ once and own the entire thing to read at your own pace and revisit as often as you’d like. I honestly couldn’t help but scoff when this screen showed up as I was playing. 

Which brought me to my first question. Why don’t they simply let us consumers choose between buying the entire thing and this “f2p” version? It’s the same simple answer for all questions related to this topic:  💰 💰 💰

The elaborate explanation is that obviously no one would touch this “f2p” version unless they’re forced to. As stated above stories used to be 4€. However Love Choice is much more expensive.

This part made me especially sick. They know exactly that for a lot of us Otoge is something we use to treat ourselves. These sugar coated words “special” “exciting outcomes” “spicy ending” aim exactly for that. You’re already here, surely you don’t want to miss this super special spicy scintillating sexy breathtaking ending.

However that’s not even the worst part yet. One choice costs 5 hearts which is not too bad right? Too good to be true almost, which is exactly what’s happening here. As you progress the amount of hearts needed steadily increases. The biggest amount one choice costs is 26 hearts.

That singular choice plus CG costs almost as much as an entire route with all CG’s etc. used to cost (400 Coins).

Granted as you can see above you “only” need 12 points to get the super special spicy scintillating sexy breathtaking ending. Which means you don’t always have to select the ~special choice~. However the amount of points you get per special choice is different each time (ranging from 1pt to 3pts), there’s no other way to earn them. So unless you use a Walkthrough you’re grasping at straws. Like here, you’ll get a CG sure but only 1pt. In theory a choice with 3pts is more lucrative but who knows when one of those might show up.

Ultimately guessing whether the money you’ve invested so far will be enough to get you that desired ending might be more thrilling than Eisuke 2.0 trying to shove his tongue into your mouth.

Let’s get back to our numbers though. In order to get all the CG’s + that super special ending you’ll need at least 85 hearts. Which basically translates to 900 Coins.

11€. Only possible if you play it smart by using a Walkthrough, which means someone else took the plunge and paid the whooping 22€ instead. Because that’s what you’ll have to pay if you go for every single special choice. Granted you don’t have to spend the entire 2000 Coins, there are 300 left over because Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.) simply never offers the exact amount of 1700 Coins you’d need. But what do these leftover 300 coins even do for you? Nothing much anymore as we’ve seen.

Plus there’s the wait times we haven’t experienced yet. I mean how much does it cost if I don’t want to wait for 5 hours? Will those “leftover” 300 coins even cover that? A part of me honestly doesn’t even want to know.

Moving on to the illusion of having a choice. As stated above the only way to raise points is by using money. Only these paid choices change the Love Meter. Every other ~choice~ might as well not be there because it doesn’t make a difference. Let’s look at this one scene in particular. For context my dude Kazuomi Shido wants to get rid of a woman because she “knows too much”.

As stated before you could skip this special choice and still get that ~Super Happy Ending~. I mean ppffft what’s she to me amirite? Random Woman Nr.1 is definitely not worth my 50 coins.

But how is this enjoyable? How am I supposed to be pleased knowing that the only way to get a different ending is paying up. That my choices don’t matter except for the ones where I make it rain money for Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.). They might as well just remove the “choices” and sell the entire story for 11€ or 22€ if they’re feeling bold. 

But again, if the amount you spend was displayed in such a blunt way no one would ever go near these stories. I mean just look at Wand of Fortune (Story Jar). A single route consists of 27 Chapters (the 1st one being free). One Chapter costs 20 diamonds. So to read everything you’ll need 520 diamonds, which translates to 44€. How is this real life? Who thought this was a good idea?

Which brought me to my next question: What’s up with this sudden increase we see for the amount of Chapters? Could we be... getting more for our money? Again, no. It’s still all about them getting more  💰 💰 💰

Because each Chapter is incredibly short. And while the Chapters in Masquerade Kiss at least make sense despite their shortness the same can’t even be said for Wand of Fortune.

I think this sudden rise serves a few different purposes. Obviously more Chapters means more money. In WoF you just straight up have to pay and in Love Choice it gives them the option to put in even more “””special choices”””. Plus when there’s no CELEBRATION NOW OR NEVER PLAY WITHOUT WAIT TIMES event that’s another point where you could possibly pay to progress more quickly. I mean 5 hours wait time means you’ll only get to play 4 Chapters per day. If that’s even an option for you. I certainly can’t whip out my phone at work to get raunchy with Eisuke 2.0 simply because 5 hours have passed. But that’s an entirely different matter.

But what else is happening here? Honestly these Chapter splits are nothing but sneaky practices to pick the money right out of our pockets. By splitting the costs into different Chapters people will be less aware of how much they’re actually paying. If they straight up tried to sell one story for 44€ or 22€ who in their right mind would buy that? Unless you sit down and do the math first you’ll just kind of pay slowly as you progress the story. Plus on Love Choice you don’t even necessarily have the option to figure out how much it’ll cost in the end unless you go through the thing for yourself once or find someone that wrote everything down. At this point we can’t even say if the requirements for Kazuomi’s route are the norm. Are 85 hearts always the minimum requirement? 169 the most? There’s no telling at this point.

What I do know at this point however is that these companies are taking advantage of us. It’s true, we are currently in a dire situation. Our niche market is slowly running cold with the Vita being officially dead and no announcements for the Switch overseas. Currently mobile games are the only thing that’s going strong in the Otome Market here. But this? This can’t be it!

I won’t pay for a game that’s so completely butchered from it’s original release that it's barely functional and makes no sense. With core mechanics and voice acting removed. I won’t pay to be stripped from the right to make my own choices in a visual novel and to be played like a fiddle with all these sugar coated words that hide shrewed tricks.

Only if you give him 13 hearts first though. I gotta admit the image of Kazuomi standing there with his palm stretched out like 

“I could stick my tongue into your mouth BUT that’ll be 2,29€ first. We don’t take checks, by the way” is a little funny but ultimately too expensive for my taste.

I honestly understand that these are not easy times to be a fan of Otome Games. However, if we let these companies play us like this then we’ve already lost. Why would Aksys or any other company bother translating major titles that take so much more effort to localize if mobile Otoge with considerably less work can be sold for almost the same amount? I mean if someone pays 44€ per route that’s 264 € for the entire “game”. You could probably buy half of the Vita games Aksys has released so far with that amount. Maybe all of them if you wait for sales, this is insanity.

And 22€ is in no way better either. Just think of all the things you can buy for that amount of money, I mean not even games. Plus Otome Romance (former Voltage Inc.) is becoming worse and worse as time goes on. I’ve defended them for a long time because in a way I’m grateful. I still remember when Pirates in Love was practically the only thing we had. But I’ve reached my limit. Love Choice is just as bad as Story Jar. 

This post has become long enough, but I’ll add this later or make a seperate post of how f2p can work. I don’t want to be misunderstood, I know some people prefer f2p instead of just buying the entire stories which is perfectly fine. But these two companies have missed the mark completely and we have to be vocal about it.

PS: If you want to experience good f2p games please check out Cybird games, they’re our only hope in these unholy times.

[otomechuchu]

SWD - Story Jar - UI upgrade

The UI (user interface) was upgraded today, June 26 2019, in Story Jar (just like Ikemen Sengoku was today as well!).

The Home page looks just like it used to, but it’s only “Hot”, “New” and “Coming Soon” that are featured on it. At the bottom you will find the new improved menu. 

As you can see, they have now added “Categories” to the app! GOODBYE ENDLESS SCROLLING OF PICTURES IN DIFFERENT SIZES THAT WEREN’T SORTED IN ANY WAY (like here are all Wand of Fortune stories and spin-offs/extras grouped together). 

And they also added a page where you can see what you’ve read and pictures/CGs you’ve collected!

[hotheadhero]

📖 + magical girl au! :0)

Let's see how well I can pull this off with my poor magical girl knowledge! XD;

If he/his group get their powers through some small magical critter, it and he are probably not on the best terms because Caspar 100% spent time chasing it around trying to catch it first. It's entirely possible said magical critter was going to bestow its powers upon another group, but Caspar gave it such a headache capturing it that it gave those powers to his group out of spite. (Think what the fairies in Ocarina of Time are reputed to do.)

After receiving said powers, Caspar is the inner to go most ham with them all, acquiring shades of Owain in the process. While I don't think his speeches would be on Owain's level, he would be the one to both put his magic transformation item on a metaphorical pedestal and get way too into the act. Noel Valmore from Wand of Fortune found a "magic ruby" and proceeded to tote it as the most special powerful amulet of all time, something only a chosen one like him could wield, until game protagonist Lulu comes along and says "I had one just like that when I was a kid!". (I'm pulling that Noel line out of my arse, but the sentiment is there.)

You may get a hint of the theatrics from the below screenshot. Similar theatrics abound in how he fights bad guys. Btw, his preferred method of attack would be to shoot lasers/fireballs/etc from his hands Samus Aran/MegaMan style instead of wave or point a wand at anything. Or raise walls of earth from the ground Ed Eric style. I haven't decided what element Caspar would be.

Btw, since I just had to go look for it, here's a CG of Noel getting too into the act. Imagine Caspar here instead.

Caspar would also be the most likely to blow the group's cover, provided the "magical girl" outfit isn't too embarrassing or feminine. After all, it's a fast pass to becoming a hero! Why wouldn't he want to broadcast that to the world?! (Also, Caspar is terrible at keeping secrets. Even if the outfits were embarrassing, I strongly suspect he'd still leak his alter ego to someone XD Be good for at least one episode in a series.)

[isuzukuretsuki]

Ngl people defending Cheritz for overpricing the AEs is what allows mobile companies to get away with these rip off micro transactions in the first place. The after end and Rika’s DLC could have been the most brilliant master pieces ever crafted-- and that still wouldn’t justify paying the price of a full damn otome steam game for a freaking after end and a character backstory dlc, even if it’s “”quality content””. Like yes, V’s after end is fully voiced with lots of CGs... just like the secret ends. I can get behind V’s after end being more pricey than the secret end but eight times more? I definitely don’t think V’s after ends were eight times better than the secret ends were in terms of quality! 

Companies want money-- and they’re going to milk consumers for every dime they can possible milk. They’ll keep on raising the prices to see how high they can raise it until people stop buying it, and if people keep blindly defending and justifying the prices, then the prices will just continue to sky rocket. Cheritz isn’t as bad as other mobile otome companies like Voltage or *grumbles* the Wand of Fortune disaster, but pretty soon they will be as bad so long as people are okay with them raising their prices to obnoxious ranges. 

[xatlass]

Lulu | Wand of Fortune

267 icons (CGs, official art & fanart)

Fanart DOES NOT belong to me. All the credit goes to their respective artists 

Like/reblog aren’t necessary but are appreciated!

Feel free to re-edit these icons if you need it

Sample: 

Link here: Google Drive

[cleaetpauline60]

Wand of Fortune R

Est Rinaudo - CG (5)

[aphrodicted]

Hey! Hope you're doing great girl, may I have a reading on me and CG? Just confused about him. Thanks girl -AA

Hey, AA. I’m good! How are you, honey?

What does CG feels about you? The Hanged Man, Nine of Cups, Two of Pentacles, The Hermit.

I don’t see CG having deep feelings for you, AA. I sincerely believe that he’s interested in you and he wants to continue knowing you, but being with you implies a series of changes in his attitude and sacrifices that he is not yet willing to make. In the near future I do see him making all these changes to get to be with you. It’s imperative that he makes these changes, since you both aren’t in the same harmony and could bring you many problems trying to have a loving relationship with this energy.

Your relationship, according to his point of view, seems to be progressing little by little. He is fine with the kind of relationship you have now because he isn’t yet ready to take it to another level. When CG manages to make all the necessary changes, he’ll get satisfaction that will guide him to achieve an inner balance he needs. If CG isn’t balanced, how do you expect him to move forward with you?

CG needs to bring order to many areas of his life. If you are wondering if he has romantic feelings towards you, in your reading it doesn’t come out that he is in love with you. However, he does have interest or think about continuing to know you and grow your relationship.

Your relationship will go very slowly, but it will progress positively.

About your relationship: The Wheel of Fortune, The Lovers, Nine of Wands.

What kind of relationship can you have with CG? If you want to move forward a little with him, my cards propose that you most likely have a relationship without compromise. Something similar to friends with benefits, for example.

Don’t hurry, however, as fate has many things prepared for you. The best advice I can give you is to wait and decide calmly and without haste. All the decisions you make about CG will be by destination, which can unite or separate you completely. Avoid any feeling of anxiety about the uncertainty that your relationship with CG can cause you. A very important decision is coming that you must make with the greatest clarity and honesty possible.

I don’t know if you’ve had any conflict or fight with CG, but if you haven’t had it soon it will come. There is some kind of fight or conflict between you that will keep you separated for a while. Although your love will remain very much alive and this time may help you to recognize your real desires for the other. I see you very suspicious in your reading about everything CG says or does. Don’t worry, AA, if there has been any conflict, reconciliation will take place in the future. If you still haven’t fought, don’t worry, because everything will be solved.

The Oracle of the Angels has a message for you: Reconciliation: A person from the past returns to your life. As we have spoken before, there is an argument or fight between the two that will keep you apart for a while. However, the angels ratify what my cards say: there will be reconciliation between you. It’s important to learn to forgive others and know how to give way to a new stage with people free of resentment or useless hatred. If you really believe that CG is someone important in your life, you may have to make the decision to give him a second chance. You don’t have to make your decision quickly, but take your time and meditate on everything you need for your final decision. On the other hand, it’s also essential to forgive yourself of your past and forget mistakes you may have made in the past. What I recommend, AA, is to be open to all the events that may come in the future and learn from them.

Good luck, AA!

Please consider leaving feedback to know whether or not my reading has resonated with you.

[ridingthewhitechocobo]

Lagi.e-n

[cannonette]

Wand of Fortune R2  ~Jiku ni Shizumu Mokushiroku~ CGs

[petite-mei-blog]

Wand Of Fortune R

I decided to take a break from Code Realize, Impey’s route is just meh, and started Wand of Fortune R! :D I honestly only got this game, actually my boyfriend bought it for me, because of all the beautiful CGs I’d seen online, SO.PRETTY! And I have to say after only a few hours I’m hooked! So far I love the general atmosphere of this game, I heard the system was a bit of a pain in the ass so we’ll see how it turns out to be for me but right now I’m enjoying myself ^^

[recentanimenews]

Peter's Summer 2017 Premiere Recommendations

As a Professional Anime Watcher I’ve been hard at work the past two weeks keeping up with the busy season premiere release schedule. It's a bit too early to make any definitive calls about what I'll be following for the full 12 weeks, but a few have stood out because of concept, visuals, or writing. I’ve curated a short list of anime that I think shows promise and recommend giving a chance, if you haven’t already.

18if

This series is hard to put a bead on just yet, but if you’ve followed my writing for any amount of time probably won't come across as a surprise. Our protagonist falls asleep and ends up in some sort of dreamworld cognitive space populated by imaginary figments and fellow dreamers of varying levels of lucidity. The primary antagonist of the anime are “witches”, girls troubled by real life events who enter coma-like sleep as a coping mechanism for their emotional troubles. They become tyrannical characters in the dreamworld bent on enforcing their distorted desires on those around them.

There’s a lot of groundwork to cover so the first episode kept things vague and mysterious, introducing the concept of doors and a professor who takes on a puss n’ boots-like persona that is attempting to study the dreamworld, along with a liminal white witch character acting as our protagonist’s guardian angel. It showed off with some really unique visual environments that call back to series like Summer Wars or the internet chat rooms of Psycho-Pass. It's a far cry hoping for another Flip Flappers just yet, but 18if set up a nice formula for an episodic show and it’s impossible to predict where the plot might take us.

Clean Freak! Aoyama-kun

  I’m hot and cold on sports anime but a good high school slice of life with zany characters is my kryptonite. Aoyama-kun may be the best of both this season has to offer, so if you lean either way it's definitely worth giving a chance. I’m on a constant quest to recapture the magic that was Tanaka-kun is Always Listless and Aoyama-kun has some of the same hallmarks. While several degrees more insane, this anime has the same fundamental theme of embracing the unique qualities of others. Despite the many inconveniences Aoyama’s compulsive need to clean causes, his fellow not only accept but have come to admire his unusual idiosyncrasies. Now on episode two, a few other classmates are beginning to display their own.

I’m still not quite sure what to expect from this show, but its jokes landed the most consistently of any premiere and it’s easy to fall right into the setting and live alongside the characters. So far it doesn’t appear Aoyama-kun is spending a great deal of its time on soccer, but a few moments in the first episode has me looking forward to its reappearance, making use of 3D integration to do some great rotating camerawork. Whether it delves further into the soccer team's competition or keeps things light, I'm excited to meet more of Aoyama's classmates.

Fastest Finger First

It’s always nice to have a reminder that anime can take any mundane activity and orchestrate a bombastic story around its practice in competition. Academic decathlons get the full treatment in Fastest Finger First, following the Quiz Bowl club at Bunzou high school. The protagonist Koshiyama is a natural talent having gained an immense amount of knowledge spending his childhood reading books at his local library (it’s fun-damental) but, of course, there is a great deal of strategy to this seemingly straightforward activity to be revealed as we dive into the world of competitive quizzes.

I’ve been a sucker for this kind of anime since I first watch Yakikate!! Japan but fans of Food Wars! (not that part) should feel right at home in this formula. The color filters and time slowing as Koshiyama thinks at lightning speed are the peak of this genre, along with the dramatic flourish each character takes when they hit the button to give their answer. So far we've been introduced to an obsessively intense club president and charming leads in Koshiyama and Fukami and I actually can't wait to see what cartoonish characters they end up facing off against.

Knight’s & Magic

Mecha and fantasy are two genres that don’t cross over nearly enough, especially after Escaflowne showed us what the two are capable of together. Fortunately Knight’s & Magic is packed with magic-powered robots and giant monsters for them to fight. So far, the show has introduced us to a cheery cast of aspiring pilots in a high fantasy setting where just about everyone can sword fight and cast spells. The first episode rushed through a lot of expository background before slowing down in the second to show us what sort of combat we can expect, including some interesting 3D integration with CG beams impacting to create hand-illustrated explosions and smoke.

  The one aspect of the story I’m still not clear on is the fact that Knight’s & Magic is an isekai at all. Beyond acting as an excuse for Erni to design a hybrid gun/wand, there really isn’t any aspect to his character that couldn’t be explained by a genuine, and extremely relatable, enthusiasm for giant robots. Fortunately this fact doesn’t particularly interfere with the anime either, so taking Erni’s genuine passion for magic and mecha at face value, along with the rest of the cast, makes him a perfectly charming protagonist. Whether it will be explored remains to be seen but the anime has a lot to offer either way. In the meantime, it's easy to get excited along with Erni as he gets to pilot a Silhouette Knight for the first time.

These anime were my top four picks but this season has plenty to offer. If you don't find any of these to your liking then you can also try out A Centaur's Life, Restaurant to Another World, and Katsugeki TOUKEN RANBU which I'm also keeping an eye on. Don't forget to follow up with sequels since we still have another cour of the fantastic My Hero Academia and a brand new season of NEW GAME!! I hope this list helped you discover something you end up falling in love with and I'll be back next week with some more targeted commentary.

  I notice I ended up writing about 3D integration quite a bit since several series this season have been finding interesting ways of fitting it in both as a compliment or replacement for traditional 2D. It's fascinating to watch a medium evolve, so if you spot a a new and interesting way it's being used in a new show then let me know in the comments!

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Peter Fobian is an Associate Features Editor for Crunchyroll and author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

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