#game animage

[periodically80s]

[ljaesch]

Crunchyroll's Announcements at AnimagiC 2024

Crunchyroll announced some forthcoming simulcasts during its AnimagiC 2024 panel: Honey Lemon Soda Release Date: January 2025 Territories: North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East and CIS Synopsis: In middle school, Uka Ishimori was nicknamed “Stone.” In order to change herself, she enrolled in Hachimitsu High School, known for its culture of student…

[tnbscans]

Tnbscan Want list

I am looking for pretty much anything that you can't find on here already. I have hundreds of items in the queue and many I haven't even scanned yet but there's always things I'm not aware of existing, especially non Japanese items. If you have scans to donate (full credit given of course) please contact me. Thank you!

Bromides

Missing Link Mind Game, OST Seigi no Koe ga Kikoerukai Best of Hero Hero Radio The Beginning OST On-Air Jack 7 Piece Set The Live (ones not already on here) Animate Girls Festival 2011 (All but Kotetsu, Barnaby) 2016 bluray box hero academy Enter Bell (all) T&B2 OST (both) KujiPia (all)

Postcards

Animate New Chitose Airport (Kotetsu & Barnaby) Namjatown & Beginning in Namjatown (many, please ask) Wondergoo (all except T&B2 vol 1 &2, T&B1 (Sakakibara) vol 1) Sunrise (2013 & 2014) MBS Anime Fes 2014 Graffart (all) CharaShop (all) Karatez (2021) Pash May 2022 4DX (Kotetsu, Barnaby) Hero Festa in Sunshine 60 Observatory (all) Parco (all four) Compact Blu-Ray Box Onkyo 2023 Nengajo (all) T&B2 in Namjatown (all) 2022 Pia Mook Cybird Season 2 Bluray (set of 7) Molly Online (all 3)

Clear Files

Sunrise Festival 2011 Namco Namjatown Origami Cyclone Washi Minimini (The Beginning & Origami Cyclone) Circuit of Hero The Beginning 3 Pocket Chipicco (A & B) Sound of T&B 2016 Characro (Ryan, Keith, Pao-Lin) Pachislot Stationary Series (all 6) Pop'n Hero (all 8) Yuru Palette (Hero on Air) NordiQ (Kotetsu & Barnaby, Origami Rock High, Yuri, Group) Nitengo (A & B) Cafe Playback (Both) Mitsukoshi Passlogy Parco (Kotetsu, Barnaby) Rose (Barnaby) Birthday Set (Ryan & Karina, Antonio & Ivan) le coq sportif Summer Resort Heroes (Ivan & Antonio curling) Bkub Okawa (Wild Tiger, Barnaby)

Posters

Newtype Ace Vol 3 (2011) Animedia October 2011 Pash November 2011 Newtype December 2011 Miracle Jump Vol 4 (2011) Cool Voice Issue 5 (2011) Miracle Jump Vol 11 (2012) Ichiban Kuji (Kotestu, Barnaby, Ivan, Keith, Blue Rose, Group) The Beginning World Premiere Poster Collection (1 & 2) Pash July 2012 Animage November 2012 On-Air Jack DAM Hero Karaoke 2012 Circuit of Hero Pash October 2013 Pash May 2014 Oedo Onsen (all) Hero TV Fan The Rising The World of Tiger & Bunny No Anime No Life Ichiban Kuji Rascal Karatez Hero Supporter Art Archives Movie Compact Blu-Ray Box (all) Animedia February 2023

Stickers

Gyu-Kaku x Rock Bison (10 types) Hero TV Jack ~Achieve Emergency Missions~ (Ivan, Keith, Antonio, Nathan, Pao-lin, Karina) Anime Film Festival Tokyo 2017 Wall Stickers (all) Stationary Series Cafe Playback (set A & B) Parco (all) T&B2 schedule stickers Sanrio Petant (set A & B) Buon Appettito Pac-Man A-on Store Origami Cyclone Bakery Usagiza Lepus (all)

Manga Covers (JP)

Comic Anthology 1: It takes two to make a quarrel Comic Anthology 2: First catch your hare Comic Anthology 3: Hitch your wagon to a star Comic Anthology 4: The age of miracles is past…!? Anthology Comic: Go! Go!! Tiger & Bunny 1, 2, 3SP Tiger & Bunny Comics Anthology Vol. 1, 2, 3 Tiger & Bunny 4 Koma Kings Vol. 1, 2, 3 Tiger & Bunny The Comic (Ueda) all except Vol 4 Tiger & Bunny Comic Anthology Extra Tiger & Bunny Comic Anthology: We Love Sky High Tiger & Bunny The Beginning Comic Anthology Tiger & Bunny (Sakakibara New Edition) Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4

Books (full scans or at least art and interviews)

Tiger & Bunny Hero TV Fan vol. 1 Tiger & Bunny Hero TV Fan vol. 2 Katsura Masakazu x Tiger & Bunny – Original Drawings & Rough Sketches Collection (donation pending) Tiger & Bunny Official Hero Book Tiger & Bunny Official Hero Book 2 Tiger & Bunny Official Guide Book Hero Gossips Tiger & Bunny Roman Album (partially scanned) Tiger & Bunny King of Works (partially scanned) TV Anime Tiger & Bunny Scenario Document Vol. 1 TV Anime Tiger & Bunny Scenario Document Vol. 2 Tiger & Bunny The Live Official Visual Book Band Score Tiger & Bunny Sheet Music Tiger & Bunny -The Beginning- Official Hero Book Tiger & Bunny -The Beginning- King of Works (interviews done, art pending) The Beginning Souvenir Program Special Edition Smart Special Edition Tiger & Bunny Special Book Smart Special Edition Tiger & Bunny -The Rising- Special Book Katsura Masakazu x Tiger & Bunny – Original Drawings & Rough Sketches Collection 2 Mizuki Sakakibara Tiger & Bunny Illustrations (copy obtained) Sum Up!! Tiger & Bunny The Rising Souvenir Program Special Edition Tiger & Bunny -The Rising- Clear File & Postcard Book Tiger & Bunny English of Heroes Tiger & Bunny Pia Tiger & Bunny Hero TV Fan-The Rising- (partially scanned) Tiger & Bunny -The Rising- King of Works (super fanbook done, art pending) Tiger & Bunny - The Slot Works- (copy obtained) Tiger & Bunny 2 Multi Pouch Book Tiger & Bunny Kotetsu T. Kaburagi & Barnaby Brooks Jr. Pia Mook (copy obtained) Katsura Masakazu x Tiger & Bunny 2 Original Drawings Tiger & Bunny 2 Anime Visual Book Tiger & Bunny 2 King of Works (illustrated sheets scanned)

Other Merch:

Monthly Hero Magazine in any language besides Japanese and English. I am aware of French and Korean editions Birthday card included in the Barnaby's Birthday Plate set Calendars (2012, 2013, 2014) Sunrise/Bandai Namco shareholder promotional cards and calendars (all except 2022) Monthly Sheets (Yuri, Ben & Saito) All quo and tosho cards not already here Yurindo bookmarks DAM 3D Mini Book Comics Takaoka bonus paper (Vol 9) Oedo Onsen omiikuji card (Karina) Chimi Mega Buddy Illustrated Sheet Ivan & Antonio's birthday sets Molly Online Kuji clear posters Hero cards and NFT cards given out at the Museum of T&B 2 Netlfix anime card given out at Anime Japan 2023 Hub collab cards and cheki photos

Any non Japanese merchandise I am not aware of, especially outside of North America

Any interviews/articles in any language not already on here

Lost Media

2011 film comic Any undocumented images or files related to the lost media video games Road of Hero, My Private Hero, and V Residence God Eater II T&B DLC Tiger & Bunny The Xmas livestream Hero Radio episodes 26, 40, 74 T&B Station episodes 12, 24, 25, 26

High quality scans of the below art:

[mirai-e-jump]

Animage February 2024 Issue ft. Masato Yano Interview (translation below)

Publication: January 10, 2024 (between episodes 43-44)

"It's time to save the universe."

Up until now, Dagded Dujardin has been playing a game of destroying the planets and life that exist in outer space, calling it "tidying up," by making different beings hate and fight each other. The war between humans and Bugnarak that took place on Chikyu was also due to Dagded's actions.

The succeeding Shugoddam kings were destined to serve Dagded, and Gira's former king and brother, Racules Husty, was also at the mercy of Dagded. However, Racules was carrying out an ambitious plan behind the scenes to overthrow the invulnerable Dagded and save the universe.

Gira, who had inherited Dagded's power, would be trained to obtain the power to kill immortals…to achieve this goal, Racules tried to be a king of evil and tyranny. Gira once confronted Racules, who had said, "People are tools. I am the country," and declared that he would become an evil king. With the brothers belief in saving their people, and daring to go down a false and evil path, it can be said that they have the same underlying motivation.

Although he was sentenced to death, Racules decides to now live as a tool for the Royal Sentai in order to defeat the resurrected Dagded. At last, the paths of Gira, the other members of the Royal Sentai, and Racules cross. The battle against Dagded advances into its final phase!

-Did you find it surprising? Thoughts on Suzume-

"Racules's true objective has finally been revealed, but Yano-san, how much knowledge did you have about Racules's secret?"

Yano: During costume fitting, aside from the Bugnarak, I had heard that there was another enemy, the Uchu King, and that Racules had to play the role of a bad king under his instructions, and that there was a spy in the castle so that the Uchu King was always watching him.

"After understanding the gist of his secret, you played out that role starting from episode 1."

Yano: Right. I wasn't told all the details, but I was in a position where I knew alot more than everyone else did. Still, I knew of future developments, and in the beginning, I played the role wondering if I was going to become an enemy or an ally to Gira and the others. Now, I'm trying to soften my demeanor alittle, hoping to present a genuine image of Racules. In episode 42, there's a scene where he acts like a big brother towards Gira for the first time, but from this point on, I think we'll see more scenes where we can feel that those two are brothers.

"Yano-san mentioned it in another interview, but in episode 42, Gira and Racules fighting together for a common cause was achieved."

Yano: That's right! At the time, when I gave that answer, I didn't know that we'd be fighting together, so my ambitions were achieved. However, while a joint struggle is a joint struggle, Gira is overwhelmingly more powerful than him. The power balance is like, Racules: 10, Gira: 90 (laughs). While it's a very dramatic scene that I like, if possible, I feel that I'd like us to fight together with equal strength.

"Is there anything you're mindful of when expressing your current relationship with Gira?"

Yano: I haven't changed anything in particular from before, but I feel that the atmosphere between the two of us has softened considerably. As for Racules, he'll no longer have to play the role of a bad king, and he won't have to oppose Gira.

"Then, have your impressions of Sakai Taisei-san, who plays Gira, changed?"

Yano: I worked together with Sakai-kun on another production before we appeared in King-Ohger, and I think that he's become very strong. Around the first episode, it felt like he had alot of work to do, and that he was doing his best to learn. However, by the time I came back from my early exit, the look in his eyes had changed. I could see from his behavior that his position was to lead others, and that he was starting to look more like a leader.

"In the interview from the previous issue, we heard from Kaku So-san that the speech scene in episode 34, in which Racules was revived, was met with applause on the film set."

Yano: Everyone likes to imitate Racules's self introduction. I think that was the first time in a long time that I announced myself, so they were like, "Whoa, it's really him!" (laughs).

"It's like if during an impersonation show, the actual person appeared (laughs). What do you consider to be important in your dialogue with Kaguragi, who's played by Kaku-san?"

Yano: Kakkun (Kaku-san) has appeared in Taiga dramas, has a well built body, and his line delivery is also impressive. I clash with him seriously, and although Kakkun also responds, I try to be considerate about it. At times like those, I sometimes consult with him and ask, "Would you prefer if I did this way?"

"The scenes with Suzume, Kaguragi's sister and Racules's wife, are impressive for showing a different side to him than usual."

Yano: Racules doesn't often get closely involved with female characters. When a partner is as close to me as Suzume is, there's a part of me that feels embarrassed as Masato Yano. I think that Racules probably has something like that too, so I feel like I'm expressing a mixture of my feelings and Racules's feelings (laughs). In Suzume's case, I was impressed by the line he says to her in episode 42, "Meeting you was the greatest luck of my life." Does Racules trust Suzume? Does he have romantic feelings for her? I wasn't sure about either. When I saw that line in the script, I thought that Racules was quite devoted to Suzume, and that there was an element of true love for her.

"Was it unexpected that Racules had those feelings for Suzume?"

Yano: I think so. I thought that even if he had romantic feelings for her, he wouldn't express them in words, so it felt like an unexpected side to him.

-Joining forces with Gira, whose feelings overlap-

"Do you have any memorable interactions with Imai Yasuhiko-san, the Suit Actor in charge of OhkuwagataOhger?"

Yano: I often consult with Imai-san on the spot about the untransformed action scenes. He's very kind and answers everything I ask. In the second trial by combat scene (episode 20), there's an untransformed action scene with Gira. I worked on it while talking with Imai-san, Action Director Watanabe Jun-san, and Shige-san (Ito Shigeki-san), who plays KuwagataOhger. I also have fond memories of Imai-san using an air blower from the action department to blow air onto my back during filming. It was very hot that day, and because Racules's costume was designed to prevent heat from escaping, it was difficult. The makeup artists and production staff also used large fans to blow air, but the blower Imai-san brought with him made me feel much better and was very helpful.

"It's the kind of wisdom only a Suit Actor can offer."

Yano: Yes. It was my first experience putting an air blower inside my costume (laughs).

"Other than Racules, if you had to name your favorite character, who would it be?"

Yano: That's a tough one……This is going to be a pretty bland answer, but it's Reiniol. Reiniol's (costume) decorations are more dignified and flashy than that of Gira, Racules, and Causus, his father, also played by Nakamura Shido-san. In the wedding scene with Suzume (episode 20), I wore the gorgeous cape that Reiniol wore, but I felt that it was still too early for me (bitter smile). When I get alittle older, I'd like to play a role similar to Reiniol.

"Including filming and events such as the first pitch ceremony, please tell us about any memorable memories you had while working on King-Ohger."

Yano: Kakkun may be older than me, but it was great to stay involved with cast members who were younger than me for an entire year. I haven't had much experience with that, and even when I was in my early 20s, I spent my life as an actor with few opportunities to play student roles and such. It was fun for me to work with younger people on the same production. I think the first pitch you mentioned earlier was something I was able to do because I appeared in King-Ohger. It was very emotional for me to stand on the mound of Seibu Dome (currently Belluna Dome), where I used to go and watch baseball games with my father.

"For Yano-san, this production was a valuable experience."

Yano: Yeah. The fact that I was able to transform into a Sentai hero, and a silver one at that, gives it a special feeling. Actually, in my second or third year of elementary school, I appeared in "Kamen Rider" (Agito, episode 4). At that time, my role was that of a child being killed by the enemy, but now, I'm the one who transforms and protects them from enemies, which is pretty amazing.

"I sense a strange connection. From the episodes so far, which scenes have left the strongest impression on you?"

Yano: It's episode 42, where Gira and Racules fight against Dagded together. Even though he's attacked by Dagded and is about to die from being pierced by the sword, he asks Gira one final question. Since his revival, he hasn't had a chance to properly interact with Gira, so I was acting with the feeling of "do your best" not only to Gira, but also to Sakai-kun.

"In a sense, was it a scene where Racules and Yano-san's feelings for Gira and Sakai-san overlapped?"

Yano: Yeah, that might be it.

"Finally, please tell us about some future highlights."

Yano: The climax is approaching, and every episode until the final episode is full of highlights, but there'll be "break" episodes inbetween. There's a mysterious episode that makes me think, "Is it really okay to have such an exciting episode now?" (laughs). While everyone is playing a certain game, Racules becomes the referee. I feel like he looks more like Masato Yano than Racules (laughs). There was a previous episode (episode 11) that depicted Racules in everyone's imagination. I feel like you can watch it with a similar feeling to that one, so I'd like to mention it as a highlight (laughs). _

Question from Kaku So-san! (Kaguragi Dybowski's Actor)

Q: Why do you think Shugo Mask's mask makes noises, and that he has a raspy voice even though his mouth is sticking out?

I was also surprised when I saw the broadcast (laughs). The Director of that story (Kato Hiroyuki-san) likes comedic elements, so I think that's why he intentionally chose that kind of direction. As for my own theory, it's that the mouth of the mask is actually covered with some kind of transparent screen. There's various types of technology in the world of King-Ohger. Since he's actually speaking through a screen, you can hear the sound of his breathing, and his voice is different than usual……so, what do you think? (laughs). (-Yano)

[darkwingismycity]

Attention stop motion lovers, Christmas enjoyers, and animagic enthusiasts!

If you love classic Christmas Specials, Mad Monster Party, The last Unicorn, or any movie under the RB name, this server is for you!

We invite you to the Rankin Bass Discord server! Here, you can chat, interact, roleplay, and so much more. With a tight and active moderater team, you can expect nothing more than a safe welcome, as security and keeping their members safe is their top priority. There are plenty of channels constantly buzzing with new art, oc’s, and headcanons. Not to mention game nights as well as movie nights of Rankin Bass classics, ya can’t miss out! Feel free to explore the community and make new friends within this niche fanbase. Whether you’re into the old content, or new content, there’s always something for everyone.

So what are you waiting for? Join today and see what excitements wait ahead!

(We by the way HIGHLY encourage new members to read the rules before introducing themselves please!!!)

[glutko]

As a disclaimer, I don't follow Zelda CD-I news closely, basically just sporadic memory of posts of yours. In any case, what do you think the likelihood of the CD-I games getting decompiled at some point is? Do you think this would lead to interesting discoveries about the games?

It's complicated.

Let's start with some good news - we likely know what coding language was used for them. The CD-i runs on a modified version of Microware's OS-9 operating system, and OS-9 is written in C and assembly. We have evidence of Animation Magic using both for their games (and C++) thanks to file path data mining by yours truly, so it's not a stretch to think the other companies (Viridis, Fantasy Factory, NovaLogic) used them too.

The real problem with decompiling the CD-i Zelda games is that you'll need to find people who have the skills, passion, and time to actually do it. Plus, CD-i architecture is not as studied or known as, say, the SNES or the N64's, so you'd have to give coders a crash course or find whatever experienced ones there are. If I had experience with code reconstruction, I would've attempted Faces and Wand by now.

If any game by the CD-i Nintendo companies has a chance at decompilation, it's Chill Manor and, to some extent, I.M. Meen. There's a leftover development file in Chill Manor listing a shit-ton of functions, source code file paths, and source code file names. Plus, they're DOS games, which is a very well-understood system. That's a good starting point, I think!

As for what interesting discoveries these decomps would lead to... well, I immediately thought of Zelda's Adventure. There's a lot of cut content mysteries there that only a good decompilation would solve. Though, it would be nice to get AniMagic decomps for a few reasons (uncut area backgrounds, any leftover code for the unused Wand cutscene BGs, seeing if a Lupay rematch was even planned, etc.)

I will leave you with this; the executable files for the CD-i Zelda games, cdi_link and cdi_zelda, have multiple macro and function names still in their data, much like Chill Manor. Do whatever you want with this information.

[officialinuyasha]

What areas did Taishou and Sesshoumaru rule over?

Unfortunately there is no official map that shows for what's owned in the series but there are some for real life!

The dog demon clan hailed from Saigoku. That's the "Western lands" of Japan. Kaede's Village is where Tokyo is to this day.

Ironically now for modern times there's something called the "Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage" they go through the 33 Buddhist temples on the Kansai region of Japan. Saigoku was really an old term that was also sometimes pronounced as "Saikoku" but today it is called "Kansai" ! "Saigoku" is Kansai (関西), the area of western Japan centering on Kyoto https://www.thetempleguy.org/p/saigoku-33-kannon-route.html Those areas are Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga, Osaka, Nara and Wakayama

www.travel-around-japan.com/k60-00-kansai-reg.html

Just to note there's a Mistranslation in the Viz media English version of the Yashahime manga that said Taishou came from China but it's actually Saigoku, which is Western lands of Japan it was even addressed on Takashi Shiina's Twitter page. Incase people were confused. https://twitter.com/Takashi_Shiina/status/1542931034517700608 一カ所、「西国」が「Ancient China（古代中国）」と訳されてたので、「これは＜日本の西にある国＞ではなく、＜日本国の西地方＞という意味です」と伝言をお願いしておいた。電子版では近日直してもらえるかも。 In one place, ``Saigoku'' was translated as ``Ancient China,'' so I sent a message saying, ``This does not mean ``the country to the west of Japan,'' but ``the western region of Japan.'' I asked for it. The digital version may be fixed soon.

You can see very good maps for history here:

https://timemaps.com/history/japan-1453ad/

For reference on what era you want to look at for InuYasha it's during the 1540s, this was mentioned in InuYasha wide edition #4

In Yashahime manga chapter 23 they're at Sakai. In feudal Japan Sakai is the center of commerce.

Taishou died in the Kamakura period within a castle in Kamakura city. That's 1185-1333 There's been many changes on the earth since those times as well as tsunamis and even seasonal cycles because of tilts. Japan has certainly shrunk over the years because these situations. We also know he's been alive since the Heian period 794-1185 because of how he uses the Dono honorific when talking to Zero and also within the timeline. Midoriko and the Jewel was created in the Heian period according to the InuYasha profiles book timeline.

Kirinmaru, Riku and Rion are from mainland China, yes. In fact Kirinmaru is based on the Qilin of myths and legends which originate from China which were first attested in 5th century BCE which ironically lines up with what Katsuyuki Sumisawas said in Animage May 2021 about him being alive since the era of myth and that he may have seen Buddha or Jesus Christ in the Flesh but not Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit.

There are some maps within the series, like Mount Hakurei, Horai Island from the fourth movie. Also the video game counterparts which were all supervised by Rumiko-sensei. - Admin

[centrally-unplanned]

something it occurred to me to wonder recently and thought if anyone would know, it would be you ;p

when Eva began back in 1995, how much was it anticipated? both narrowly in otaku circles, and more widely among 'people who watch TV in Japan'? as far as i understand the history, Gainax was pretty niche back then and mostly known for dating sim games, but the visual style of Eva is so immediately striking...

like, I know nobody quite realised just how huge it would become, but was there some sort of excitement for a new robot anime from the people who made Wings of Honneamise, Gunbuster and Nadia? or was it a complete surprise?

Hm, good question! I am not super confident in my answer, so my bet is "highly anticipated but not crazily so". Gainax was known but niche, having 'Otaku' success with as you mention Wings and Gunbuster...until Nadia: Secret of Blue Water came out in 1990. This would not have put Gainax per se on the map, as Toho and Group Tac were branded as the primary producers, Gainax as secondary, but it definitely put Hideaki Anno on the map as director. The show was wildly successful, aired in prime-time slots - which, fun fact, meant that its first season airing was interrupted due to breaking news about the onset of the First Gulf War - and Nadia herself became Best Girl in most of the Newtype/Animage style polls of the time until being dethroned by Sailor Mercury in 1992. Nadia was definitely still 'an anime', and it was a kids show in too many ways to be a real breakout. But it was the top of anime of its time, no debate.

Its success is what gave Anno the ability to finance Evangelion, and it meant he was also able to pull a lot of 'big talent' for branding purposes - which ofc was intentional, Anno is no fool. Hiring Usagi from Sailor Moon's voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi to be Misato for example, when Sailor Moon was the #1 anime of 1994, is certainly because of her talent but also because of her buzz, and he has a bunch of hires along those lines to make Eva the "oh man the best of the best are all here" kind of show.

(Again fun fact time - you prob know this one - he also tried to bring Kunihiko Ikuhara, Sailor Moon director, onto the animation staff, and as part of his tactics to woo him named Rei Ayanami after Sailor Mars, Ikuhara's favourite SM character that he famously cosplayed. Ikuhara was alas too busy with wrapping up his time on Sailor Moon and forming Be-papas to make Utena to spare the time)

All this meant that by the time Evangelion was getting ready for its Fall 1995 debut, the cover of the April 1995 issue of Newtype looked like this:

And hey, if you want some evidence of the buildup discussed, the first page of the cover feature starts off in 1990, with a discussion of the impact of Nadia:

Even here, once it transitions to discussing Evangelion, Anno is promising "something anime fans have never seen before". It was a common refrain in all the marketing material throughout 1995, that this show was going to be special. The manga adaption actually began print in February of 1995, as a hype builder. The Evangelion team was putting it all on the line.

Also I love that early concept art - the more gundam-esque pilot suits over the plugsuits would have absolutely been my jam, alas.

(This marketing material is more evidence against the mythical "mid-production pivot" theory that fans in the past surmised about Eva's intended story, but a topic for another time)

Still, this is just marketing - who wouldn't say your show will Change Everything, that is your job as a business! For all the inner-otaku hype and rep, Evangelion was definitely targeted at those otaku, and it wasn't marketed to an all-ages demo with wider appeal like Sailor Moon. Anno even remarks in the interview above it would be more of a 'cult hit' compared to Nadia. It had a Wednesday airing slot (at 18:30, not actually super late - another myth, it just had late night re-runs after its evening air slot), not a great time and definitely not a Saturday evening slot like Sailor Moon.

It was a show that instead grew over its airing and broke out of its slot and genre - its finale got audience ratings almost twice that of its premiere (though these numbers are hard to aggregate over different stations). Its about midway through its run that you start getting those "phenomenon of Evangelion" style articles, and when the ending hits the culture critics start jumping in as well and it becomes a true cultural event, and discussion of the show in mainstream magazines starts happening. That wasn't happening in 1995.

I wish I could say it all culminates with End of Evangelion being released and being the #1 film of the year and all that - but while it did well it got its clock absolutely cleaned by Princess Mononoke, which came out the same week. An honourable defeat at least!

Hopefully this is a good answer! Definitely more to be said on the topic, man this would be a great deep dive project...

[aria0fgold]

FELLOW CAIOWE ENTHUSIAST HELLO

God, finding any mhyk fans on tumblr is so rare. I can never go to twitter though, because twitter won't allow me to write a whole textblock about my wizards yknow.

Anyways, what are your favorite caiowe moments (0u0)

OHMYGOD! FELLOW CAIOWE FAN IN TUMBLR?! :O Fr though, we mhyk fans here are so rare and twitter posts function cannot contain the multitude of thoughts I have.

I have A LOOOT of favourite caiowe moments, caiowe fuels my brain.

Most and biggest favourite caiowe moment: Chapter 17 and 18 of ms1.5 aka anni1. It's sooooo good to me, the establishment of the pairing, the horror and realization of Owen that Cain was Dying and he didn't even wanted that in that moment. Owen calling Cain's name for the first time and not "Sir Knight"? Owen KNEELING DOWN beside him and PRAYING?!?! Love it, I love that moment so much. Of course, I cannot forget about Cain, in his dying moments during then, ASSURED Owen that it wasn't his fault. Like ohgod... You're dying my guy and you're assuring the one that attacked you?! Oh. OH! You are sooo insane for that. And with that moment, of course I gotta hold the moment during Chapter 26 near and dear to my heart too. Cain, recovering from a near death experience meeting Owen and without missing a beat, invites him out to lunch. OUOUUUOGHHGG I looove ms1.5 for that.

Everything that Paradox Roid had going for itself. That AU is caiowe collection worthy, every moment that those two were together makes me soooo giddy and happy and it's so insane for that. My favourite AU of all time, especially the moments during Chapter 5 with Cain, Akira, and Owen flying by the ice cream truck, Cain with that sweet lil speech and Owen saying "Hello, world" ououuoghhghg my heart during then... Of course what solidified this AU for being my favourite of all is Cain going through INSANE LENGTHS to get Owen back JUST to fulfill his promise to him of buying him the icecream, AND the moment when Owen's memory was all but practically wiped BUT! he still remembers... Cain's words... HE STILL REMEMBERS! Like oooohhhh my god. That's insane. To still remember Nearly the exact words a guy you've only met recently despite your memory being deleted? Insanity. I love it.

EVERYTHING! From the event: Sun-Radiant Blade. That's my favourite event of all time from the canon universe, it has sooo many caiowe moments it was amazing. Owen attending the knight event and everyone being on high guard but Cain reassures them? OWEN GETTING BLAMED FOR SOMETHING HE DIDN'T DO AND CAIN DEFENDING HIM?!?!! Owen being the only one to believe in Cain that he CAN win against the young knight being controlled by a sword and that Oz doesn't need to kill the poor kid, that NO ONE gets to kill the poor kid and only Cain can do that. Owen grabbing Cain's face especially and going "my magic wielding Sir Knight" OH YOU ARE UNBEARABLE OWEN.

Not really part of the game, but the animage magazine article of em makes me just as insane. It's THE CAIOWE magazine of all time, I'll forever be Normal (lying) about Cain's quote: "Come battle, I would become your shield, and I would die for you." LIKE!!! MY GUUUUYYY?!?!!?!!? Most normal thing to say towards anyone at all. I hate him (affectionately).

The event: Prelude to the Festival and Justice has a singular caiowe moment in the form of Owen's eyeball protecting Cain and I'm sooooooo not over that moment yet actually. Owen wasn't even THERE, but Owen protected Cain via the eyeball he forcefully swapped between em like gooooooodddd.

ANNI 2 MOMENT! CAIOWE ANNI 2! That moment with Cain and Owen lowkey arguing with one another lives in my head rent free and then by the ending parts with Owen flying off all alone and CAIN LOOKING UP AT HIM and going "I have to get stronger" just to be able to justify him worrying for him like oh! OH MYGOD!

That one moment during the event: Awakening the Legendary Chalk Castle where Cain SENSED Owen nearby and proceeded to DESTROY THE FLOOR to obtain a shortcut to get to where he was sensing Owen at, very Normal behaviour there Cain. I love him.

Everything bout that one tl with like a stageplay? a stage reading I think? I can't remember but that tl of some parts (mostly caiowe, oh i love it so much) of it and and Owen getting Cain drunk via magic and Cain was boutta START STRIPPING and Snow panicked and immediately got rid of the spell and Owen going "But it was just getting to the good part" LIKE!?!?!?!!? Thinking bout that moment again makes me lose it sooo badly like my guy wdym. WDYM OWEN OHMYGOD OWEN

The newest Alterego AU event is also taking up so much of my brain rn, mafia au, Cain with the northies/former northies, OWEN'S OTHER EYE CHANGING COLOUR TO BE GOLD CUZ OF CAIN, like ya can't just make that up, my guy Owen saw the prettiest gold during his dying moments and the world said "You'll get to have that too" and now he has heterochromia as well, and never mind the fact that Owen gained his during this event, but Cain was BORN WITH IT, he was born with a heterochromia that was forcefully put on him during canon universe, he was born with the Owen red eye in this universe and the implications of that is kinda insane actually (<-most likely reading too into the au with my caiowe glasses). Cuz like! Imagine this, you in your past life had two golden eyes but Some Guy, forcefully swapped eyes with you and then in another life, your born with heterochromia as a result of Some Guy from a previous life and now your born with it, like a mark. Of a wedding-- It's the caiowe version of the red string of fate, I'm convinced with that.

[yunaangelhikari]

So wearing Aerith again was nice. And this picture from AnimagiC came out so nice I just needed to share it.

Character: Aerith Gainsborough

Game: Final Fantasy Crisis Core

Photographer: @yosei_cos (instagram)

Cosplay: made by myself

Edit: me

#finalfantasy #finalfantasyvii #finalfantasyviicrisiscore #aerithgainsborough #finalfantasy7cosplay #cosplay

[kindregardv2]

New BKDK Fic!

Hey, everyone! I started writing a bkdk fic on ao3 if you all would like to check it out. AU is police officer Katsuki and vigilante Izuku nicknamed The Viper.

Let me know what you guys think! I'll try to update every weekend!

The Elusive Viper (5812 words) by animags Summary: Katsuki, a lieutenant of the Tokyo Police Department is tasked with investigating and busting The Viper, an increasingly popular vigilante that questions the line of what's good and bad, targeting major gangs while also robbing and killing supposed innocents. This is a long, twisted game of cat and mouse leads the reader to question who will come out the victor.

[macrosscape]

Current State of the Archive

All the thumbnails have been fixed after Google catastrophically broke everything. So now, the website should be easier to look at! The website currently contains the following: Scans

-All standard edition laserdiscs for the tv series, movie, encore, and Dynamite + their "Dreadnote" inserts -43 different albums, including full size musical albums, mini-disks, audio cassette tapes, drama cds, and crossover stuff -34 different anime magazines, including B-Club, Animedia, Animage, Anime V, Newtype, OUT, and Entertainment Magazine -Software scans, including the Mylene windows games and the GBC game. -Various guidebooks such as Douga collections, magazine bonus books, theater guides, and Mooks -Posters! This tab is currently small but will hopefully cover everything from magazine insert to B2 size. -Calendar scans. Currently only has the 1998 Dynamite calendar. -Misc tab! It is a Mystery! Translations

-"Basara Nekki Special Interview" Translation of the interview on the Seventh Moon single -"Fire To Tomorrow!" Translation of short story inside the Fire Bomber Roman Album -"English Fire Album Book" Translation of the album booklet from the English Fire album -"Anime Songs Party Guest Talk with Fukuyama Yoshiki" Transcription of video interview with Fukuyama Yoshiki Music -under construction still dont click it's cringe :( Merchandise -Photo review of the rerelease of the Arcadia 1/60 Fire Valkyrie with Sound Booster Links -Affiliate links -Ko-fi link -information on how to contact the admins

[intothegenshinworld]

Welcome!

Constellation Genesis is a collaboration project between Shiro (a.k.a. @intothegenshinworld) and Starlight Anon (a.k.a. AniMagical Productions/ZPStudios).

It will contain mature themes such as death, gore, foul language, and unpleasant imagery. The plot may also mention triggering topics such as anxiety, mental illness, and graphical trauma. Please proceed with caution.

This project can also be found on Starlight Anon’s quotev and will be linked in each post at the bottom.

There will be a sequel book to this series known as "Constellation Novalunosis" and "Constellation Anamnesis" which will be linked in the footnote, once this story is finished. These sequels will likely not become collaborative works, and will only be written by AniMagical Productions.

We appreciate everyone’s support for this series, and we hope you enjoy this journey with us!

Thank you very much.

DISCLAIMER!

We do not own Genshin Impact or any other material referenced in this project. All canon elements such as the original storyline of the game and manhwa belong to Hoyoverse. Some of the enlisted soundtracks are composed by Yu-Peng Chen and HOYO-MiX. The rest are credited to their respective owners and creators.

The timeline used for this story has been greatly modified in comparison to canon. However, certain aspects of the lore remain the same. Since this is a combination of sagau and cult au, please expect some elements from both alternate universes. The plot is also OC-centric for most of the content.  

If you dislike the categories above, it is advisable to not read this story

[putschki1969]

Dear Sarah, Have you ever been to KALAFINA live? Unfortunately, I have never been to Japan itself :(

Hello there lovely anon!

Yes, I have but not as often as I would have liked to unfortunately. The first time I saw them in person was back in 2012 when they were a guest act at Animagic in Germany. I never considered it a “Kalafina Live” experience but it was fun nonetheless. In 2014, Kalafina appeared at another convention in Europe (Japan Expo) so obviously, I was there for that as well. Yet again, it wasn’t a proper live experience for me but it was neat.

I attended my first REAL live in Japan in early 2016 (FOTW Special Final Day 1&2) and it was honestly a life-changing moment for me. Nothing compares to seeing them live in a proper show and not just as a short gig. I wish I had gotten the opportunity to go to any of their 2017 events/lives but that year was really busy for me since I had just started a new job. Truth is, it is one of my biggest regrets in life. if I had known it would basically be their final year of activities, I would have found a way to make it work.

At least I made it to their 10th Anniversary Live in 2018, I am forever grateful for that experience and will treasure it until the day I die. 

Their disbandment was a real wake-up call for me. I didn’t want to have any further regrets so from that moment onwards, I swore to myself that I would attend as many of their solo lives as possible. Thankfully, that new job I had gotten in 2017 gave me the financial stability to be able to travel on a more or less regular basis. As a result, I went to quite a few lives in 2018 and 2019 but then the pandemic happened and I was once again stuck here without a way to see them live *sobs* I am just glad that live stream options are a thing now, they have been a real game changer. But as much as I appreciate those streams, it’s just not the same as actually being there at the venue.

I still can’t believe that I will be seeing Wakana live in Japan this Christmas. It came at a very high price but I just couldn’t wait any longer.

I hope you will be able to travel to Japan soon. I have faith that Kalafina will return one day so let’s all be sure to work hard so when that day finally comes, we will be ready for it!

Also, here is a link to my live report tag in case anyone is interested.

[mirai-e-jump]

Animage January 2024 Issue Kamen Rider THE WINTER MOVIE: Gotchard & Geats Gotchard Main Cast Interviews (translations below)

Publication: December 8, 2023

Clear it! The strongest Chemy catching game!!

In order to seal the 101 Chemies released into this world onto cards, Houtarou Ichinose (Kamen Rider Gotchard) searches for Chemies every day with his friends from the Alchemy Academy. One day, he meets Ace Ukiyo (Kamen Rider Geats) fighting against some Jyamato monsters. Behind the scenes is Chemy X Wizard, a level number 10 supreme wizard.

Kamen Rider's Winter film will be released again this year, featuring a dream collaboration of Kamen Riders from different series. The main highlight includes Houtarou and other Gotchard members, and Ace and other Geats members being divided into teams to take on the ultimate Chemy catching game. It's the unique charm of this work that features the familiar search for Chemies from Gotchard, and the characteristics of Geats, where Kamen Riders do challenging games, which have been "combined!" The dialogue between the characters of Gotchard and Geats that you can't normally see on TV is a must see!

The presence of Geats Chemy, who looks exactly like Kamen Rider Geats, is also a point of interest. Centering around X Wizard and Geats Chemy, the drama between humans and Chemies, which is the real appeal of Gotchard, is depicted on a scale that only a film can provide. What will the encounter with the new Chemy and Ace and his group bring to Houtarou and his friends?

Junsei Motojima (Houtarou) x Reiyo Matsumoto (Rinne) Fujibayashi Yasunari (Spanner) x Abe Oto (Renge) Rikiya Tomizono (Sabimaru) x Kumaki Rikuto (Minato)

"Double" the expected chemistry!

-Is Spanner, a mood maker, the complete opposite of the person playing the role?-

"The first quarter has passed since the broadcast started, what has the response been?"

Motojima: I feel that the number of messages of support have gradually increased. At talk events, there were those who would say to me, "I'm cheering for you," and those who brought support fans (uchiwa), and I think I'm starting to actually realize it myself. It makes me incredibly happy.

Matsumoto: I have the feeling that I'm gradually getting used to being on set. I'm now trying to expand my range of acting by taking on new challenges every day, and reviewing my own performance to see how I can improve it.

Fujibayashi: As the story progresses, there'll be more scenes that delve deeper into each character's individuality. My desire to see the stories we've filmed, including this film, as soon as possible has become stronger since the broadcast started.

Abe: Up until now, I haven't appeared regularly in dramas, so I was really happy, and when I heard a kid next to me on the train talking about Gotchard, I thought, "What a great response!"

Fujibayashi: Did they realize that you were Renge?

Abe: I don't think they noticed (laughs). I'll do my best to get them to notice!

Tomizono: At first, when I played the role I thought, "Who is Sabimaru…" But, as he interacts with Houtarou and the others, I gradually felt that I was building up my own image of Sabimaru's character. I'd like to carefully build up Sabimaru's growth in the future, and I want to do my best to make tablets more popular (laughs).

Kumaki: It seems that there are events at kindergartens and other places where they hand out Gotchard cards, and my friends send me pictures of their children receiving the cards. When I see this, I realize that I'm creating these children's dreams, and that joy is my driving force.

"For the photo shoot, we got the impression that Fujibayashi-san was at the center, and that everyone else had a relaxed mood, but is Fujibayashi-san also "in charge" of things on set?"

Fujibayashi: No, I don't think that's the case.

Tomizono: He's got so much energy, and I feel like he raises everyone's spirits.

Abe: That's for sure!

Motojima: Even when we greet each other at 5 a.m., I can't believe how energetic he is.

Kumaki: It's so early in the morning that everyone else isn't fully awake yet.

Fujibayashi: Lately, I've been paying attention to everyone's mood and greeting them in a calmer manner.

Everyone: (laughs).

Kumaki: You've become an adult, huh?

Fujibayashi: I've become an adult (laughs).

Motojima: But, when we're filming early in the morning, having Yasu-kun (Fujibayashi) around makes me feel more energetic.

-Appearing together with Geats, filming was peaceful from start to finish-

"In this work, Houtarou and his friends split into teams together with the members of Kamen Rider Geats to take on the ultimate Chemy catching game."

Motojima: It's interesting that we're teamed up with those who have similar personalities. Houtarou and Tycoon, Rinne and Geats, Spanner and Buffa. I think that because of our similarities, we can relate to each other, and there's some good "chemical reactions."

Matsumoto: I've been working with Kan Hideyoshi-san for a long time, and I was trying to take in things from Kan-san's acting that I could apply to Rinne. Also, Houtarou falling into a trap so fast was so funny, that I laughed during the test takes (laugh).

Motojima: When I read the script, I thought to myself, "That's just like Houtarou….." (laughs). I thought it was charming because he has a childlike quality that's different from the Houtarou in the TV show.

Abe: When we were filming, I remember that it was very windy (laughs).

Tomizono: The sandy beach scene of our capture game was the first scene filmed of the movie. The wind was strong and it was raining quite abit. Furthermore, Na-Go Chemy gets covered in seaweed (laughs).

Abe: That's right (laughs). I feel like alot of the scenes with Na-Go Chemy were filmed with lots of imagination.

Tomizono: There was also something about jet planes. It was fun to film.

Abe: We were the imagination team (laughs).

Fujibayashi: In that sense, Buffa Chemy and I were both part of the imagination solo team.

Tomizono: I guess so (laughs).

Fujibayashi: Both Spanner and Buffa's theme color is purple, and they also have slightly stuck up personalities, so when the film was announced, there were many people on SNS who were looking forward to us appearing together. The interactions between the two of them are very interesting, so I hope you'll look forward to it.

"In a scene with Kugimiya Licht, Minato was depicted in his teacher's attaire."

Kumaki: I remember well the first time I greeted Motomiya Yasukaze-san, who plays Licht. Despite him being about 4-5 meters away (13-16 ft), I felt an overwhelming aura that made me feel like he was right in front of me.

Everyone: (laughs)

Kumaki: I was alittle nervous (laughs), but once I gathered up my courage and greeted him, he was very kind to me. I felt a sense of security all at once, and performed with the intention of receiving advice from my senior.

"What's your most memorable experience working with the Geats team?"

Abe: There was a part where I could feel the experience of working on a project for a year. In a scene where a drone is used, Mokudai Kazuto-san noticed a mark (for where to stand) and asked the staff, "Is this okay?" We weren't paying attention to it, so it's amazing that he noticed it instantly and acted accordingly.

Tomizono: We'd never met before, but they created an atmosphere where we felt comfortable talking to them and had alot of fun. During breaks, we'd play games where you have to hold back your laughter. Kan-kun is also from the Kansai region, so we got along really well, and were able to film in a really friendly atmosphere.

Matsumoto: Everyone was very kind, and I remember that they talked to us alot.

Abe: It was easy to talk to them.

Fujibayashi: The two of you had a girls night out with Tsumuri (Aoshima Kokoro) and Neon (Hoshino Yuna).

Matsumoto: That's right.

Abe: We had some girl talk.

Tomizono: I'm sure you did.

Fujibayashi: What did you talk about?

Matsumoto: Things like painting nails, perfume and other stuff.

Motojima: To be honest, I've been paying alot of attention to my appearance lately, and I've been asking Matsumoto-san and Abe-san alot of questions.

Matsumoto: It's true

Motojima: When Tsumuri-san heard about this, she set up a prank for the makeup artists to teach me fake beauty info. I was completely fooled.

Everyone: (laughs).

Motojima: I also felt that everyone from Geats did things very freely. They included adlibs, and there's a scene where Ace says, "I'm glad I was turned into this," but it was interesting to see Ace say things in a way that he'd never do during test takes. I thought he was very good at keeping the atmosphere on set peaceful.

Tomizono: But, when it was a real take, it was really cool.

Motojima: That's right! There was an incredible difference.

-Becoming a level ... Chemy?!-

"In this work, the Geats members are turned into Chemies, but if you could become a Chemy, what would you want to look like?"

Fujibayashi: Because It's obvious what I'd be, I probably don't need to say it.

Motojima: What do you mean?

Fujibayashi: I could only be a spanner.

Matsumoto: Ah!

Tomizono: If not a spanner, what Chemy would Yasu become instead?

Fujibayashi: None, I can't think of anything else.

Tomizono: You've become Spanner Chemy. What do you do?

Fujibayashi: Loosen the screws in people's heads.

Everyone: (laughs).

Fujibayashi: Everyone becomes so stupid, that they forget how to transform and can no longer speak Japanese.

Abe: That's terrible (laughs). That'd make you the strongest, wouldn't it?

Tomizono: What'll happen if you combine with another Chemy?

Fujibayashi: Valvarad uses it, not Gotchard.

Tomizono: I see.

Fujibayashi: Sabimaru would be a tablet, right?

Tomizono: (laughs). As Tomizono, I'd like a Chemy that's really cool. Like a dragon, but softer.

Fujibayashi: Like something you'd find on a souvenir from a school field trip?

Tomizono: Right, like something on a keychain.

Fujibayashi: I think children would love that.

Tomizono: That's good. I want to appear like that as a level 10 Chemy.

Motojima: I want to become a level 100 Chemy.

Everyone: (laughs).

Motojima: I want to be treated like a legend.

Matsumoto: What would I be? Maybe a bird?

Abe: Ah!

Tomizono: Is that what you wanted?

Abe: I've been beat.

Fujibayashi: But, it depends on the type of bird.

Matsumoto: Hmmm…a crow?

Fujibayashi: A crow, huh? I'd like to own one atleast once.

Tomizono: People say they're smart.

Abe: They're said to have the intelligence of 5 year olds.

Fujibayashi: Well then, they're smarter than me.

Everyone: (laughs).

Tomizono: Is there a reason why you went with a bird?

Matsumoto: I think it'd be nice to fly across the open sky. The wind would feel great too.

Abe: You get it!

Matsumoto: And crows are cool, aren't they? That's why I want to be Crow Chemy.

Fujibayashi: Oto-chan, what kind of bird would you like to be?

Abe: I want to be a black kite.

Tomizono: A black kite?

Abe: When I was little, I remember them because they used to attack me alot when I went camping. When I’d be eating a meal, they'd suddenly snatch it away. They're agile, can fly, and they can enjoy scenery that we can't normally see.

Fujibayashi: I want to steal someone's food.

Abe: Right, right.

Tomizono: Really? (laughs).

Abe: I think black kite's are the strongest.

Fujibayashi: What about Kuma-san?

Kumaki: Because of Bumblebee, I like cars.

Fujibayashi: Ah, from "Transformers."

Kumaki: I think it would be cute if I were a Chemy that looked like Bumblebee.

Tomizono: Would you be a transforming Chemy?

Kumaki: Yeah, I'd transform.

Motojima: I think that'll be in the show sooner or later.

Kumaki: When will it appear?

Fujibayashi: It'd be alot like Golddash.

Kumaki: Ah! That's right!

Motojima: Then, it'll be like a car version of Golddash!

"We would love to hear more, but we'd like to conclude with a message from Motojima-san to our readers on behalf of everyone."

Motojima: I think the highlight is that the character's charm, which is different from the TV show, is brought out by interacting with the Kamen Rider Geats members. Many of the strongest level number 10 Chemies appear, and the development where humans turn into Chemies is also unexpected, it's unexpected plus unexpected twice expected…….it's like unexpected x2.

Tomizono: So double expected?

Fujibayashi: Are you saying…it's going to turn out to be more than expected?

Motojima: Ah, that sounds good.

Fujibayashi: You just said it yourself. You bite your tongue?

Tomizono: Did you mispronounce something?

Motojima: Well uh, it turned out to be more than I expected…

Everyone: (laughs).

Motojima: The unpredictable development of the story is appealing, and the fact that it features Chemies that can talk is also a key point.

Abe: Agreed.

Motojima: Please watch out for how Houtarou and his friends will interact with the talking Chemies, which have yet to appear in the TV show!

[over-the-time-flow]

Super Robot Rollcall: Members of the Londo Bell

Bright Noah

"I'm sorry, but i'll be putting your lives on the line."

Source Material: Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack

Age: 32

Height: 180 cm

Hobby: Model Kits

Voice Actor: Hirotaka Suzuoki

War vet among war vets, Bright is just plain old tired. Thrust into a commanding role right out of military academy due to the death of the entire chain of command above him, then mistreated by an authoritarian government, only to then have to fight a reborn version of his very first opposing faction while babysitting an entire ship of teenagers, Bright’s career has been seemingly nothing but a recipe for a nervous breakdown. Despite it all, he’s always managed to keep things together just enough to command authority and inspire confidence in all of those who serve under him, even if he’s had his fair share of low points.

When it comes to raw stats, Bright is the best captain in the game. On top of that, he has a top-grade lineup of support-oriented Spirit Commands.

However, he has two big weaknesses. He doesn’t learn Focus (集中) nor Strike (必中, guarantees this unit’s next attack will not miss), which for a battleship captain means it’s gonna be very difficult for him to hit anything, and he spends long swathes of the game unavailable. Depending on your choices during route splits, you can have as little time with him as 12 total chapters of use (out of 37 chapters in the game!!).

Despite this, he DOES stay with us all the way to the end, and as a battleship captain, is going to be deployed whenever he’s around, whether we like it or not. And with that performance, we very much do like it.

Fun Fact: According to the December 1979 issue of Animage, Bright’s name is derived from “the Brightness of Noah’s ark”.

Ra Cailum

Source Material: Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack

Length: 487 meters

The culmination of Earth Federation battleship design, this is the Londo Bell’s own flagship. Nearly as much of a SRW veteran as Bright and Amuro themselves.

An absolute beast of a battleship. Tied for best allied battleship armor (though the battleship it’s tied with does have an edge over the Ra Cailum thanks to its barrier) in the game, Incredible firepower, 4 part slots, and a very powerful MAP attack thanks to its signature nuclear warheads. Sadly, Bright's Spirit Command learnset just isn’t quite equipped for this ship’s offensive output, so you could say it isn’t used to its fullest potential. If you really want Bright getting some kills, consider dedicating some of its parts slots to accuracy-boosting items.

Fun Fact: This style of ship (as a group, referred to as Ra Cailum-class battleships) would go on to see frontline usage as far as six decades after its first initial deployments. The culmination of Federation battleship design indeed!

Amuro Ray

"I'm not impatient like you! I can wait for humanity to learn and grow!"

Source Material: Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack

Birthday: November 4th

Age: 29

Height: 172 cm

Education Level: Middle school graduate

Favorite Food: Hamburgers

Voice Actor: Tooru Furuya

The Federation’s infamous White Devil. If Bright is tired and stressed, Amuro is tired and depressed. 

Alongside Bright and the entire makeshift crew of the White Base, he was thrust into active warfare in the middle of one of humanity’s bloodiest wars, but unlike Bright, he was one of the crew members who was originally nothing but a civilian. Feared due to the abilities he displayed during the war, after it he was essentially kept under house arrest and strict vigilance by the authoritarian regime of the Titans. Once they were finally toppled, Amuro's next foe would be one of his oldest and most personal enemies, Char Aznable. 

Alongside Bright, Amuro is something of a SRW hall of famer. There’s very few SRW games he’s not present in. Alongside Ryoma from Getter Robo and Koji from Mazinger Z, he forms the core trio of SRW protagonists, who in recent games tend to be characterized as old war buddies.

He’s just as much of a beast as his reputation would have you believe. He is top notch in every stat besides Melee and Defense, neither of which he particularly needs anyway. His already exorbitant Accuracy and Evasion are further compounded by his high Newtype level; by default he arrives with the skill at level 6, meaning that he has a permanent 25% hit/dodge modifier. This is nearly equivalent to him always having Focus (集中) active. If that somehow wasn’t enough, he comes with a stacked spirit command list right out of the gate, and will very soon learn an incredibly powerful skill in Zeal (覚醒, grants this unit an extra move). 

If i had to find fault any with him, it’d be that Mercy (てかげん, if this unit’s next attack would shoot down an enemy, it will survive with 10 HP instead. Only procs if the user’s Skill stat is higher than the enemy’s) is basically a wasted Spirit slot, as this game doesn’t really have any particularly difficult missions requiring you to keep an enemy target alive, but if you ever need to feed someone kills for one reason or another, you can rest assured that Amuro’s enormous Skill stat will always make Mercy proc.

Fun Fact: During early phases of planning for 0079, Amuro was called Higashi Hongo.

Re-GZ

Source Material: Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack

Model Number: RGZ-91

Height: 20.5 meters

Power Source: Nuclear Fusion Reactor

Real World Designers: Mamoru Nagano, Yoshinori Sayama

The Re-GZ (pronounced “Re-Gazee”), short for “Refined Gundam Zeta”, is a proof-of-concept Mobile Suit intended to simplify the famous Zeta Gundam from the Gryps Conflict for mass-production. Its complex transforming frame has been replaced with the much simpler solution of the Back Weapon System, a fancy marketing term for “what if instead of a transforming MS, we made a partsforming MS”. Though this succeeded in creating a Mobile Suit cheaper to produce than the Zeta, it’s just as unintuitive to pilot, was prone to running into issues due to the slapdash nature of the BWS, and was still fairly expensive in its own right. As a result, it never saw proper mass-production and instead became a machine for aces who could handle its eccentricities.

True to its lore, the Re-GZ is underwhelming. Average at best in most regards, and dips further into below average after armor purging. 

The BWS-less Re-GZ IS equipped with the full UC loadout of gun, sword, and shield, so it has better survivability than you’d think, and getting shot down in BWS form will simply armor purge into this form, so you could argue that above all else, this machine prioritizes survivability. Still, even within that niche, there’s other robots later down the line that will completely invalidate it.

Fun Fact: Though only in a cutscene, in Super Robot Wars MX, this unit joins the rank of the distinguished few machines to be piloted by a character from an entirely different show, in this case a supporting character from Nadesico.

Kayra Su

"Don't worry about me!"

Source Material: Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack

Voice Actress: Shinobu Adachi

Second in skill only to Amuro himself, Kayra is one of the Londo Bell’s top aces. She’s also in a relationship with Astonaige, the resident mechanic. Despite how it might look, it’s implied she’s the older one in the relationship!

I have a soft spot for her, even though she doesn’t do much. I just think she’s neat!

Kayra is the single Oldtype pilot we get from the Universal Century in this game, and boy she does not do much of anything to make up for that unfortunate distinction.

Her stats are all fairly low save for a higher than usual Defense stat for a MS pilot (emphasis on the "for a MS pilot"), and her Spirit learnset is more fit for a Super pilot. Her only two upsides on that front are learning Valor (熱血) and Enable (再動) early, both of which are pretty good to have.

She does have one distinction, however; she is capable of acquiring the single highest level of the Blocking skill to be acquired by any allied unit in this entire game, at a whopping level 6. The Blocking skill is something I'll have to cover in a more indepth way once it comes up, but rest assured that this is actually rather impressive. There’s only three other characters in the game that even come close to this feat, and of those three, only two will be with you to the end of the game, and one of those two is a secret pilot! Sadly, there's little practical use for this other than making her slightly better at survival than you'd think at first glance. No Potential (底力) dashes her hopes of being some strange UC equivalent of a Super Robot pilot, and even "designated Support Defense punching bag" is too lofty of an ambition for her, thanks to her Support Defense skill capping out at level 2.

It's no great loss, but she won't be with us to the end of the game.

Fun Fact: In a possible reference to SDF Macross, Astonaige once promised to cook her his signature salad before a battle in Char’s Counterattack.

Jegan

Source Material: Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack

Model Number: RGM-89

Height: 20.4 meters

Power Source: Nuclear Fusion Reactor

Real World Designer: Yutaka Izubuchi

The standard mass-produced Federation mobile suit circa the mid-UC 90s and beyond, and the successor to the iconic GM series of mass-produced mobile suits. Of the Federation's mass-produced MSs, this is probably the one with the most appearances in SRW.

SRW R’s Jegan is unfortunate. There are so many issues with it i struggle to even see where to begin. There's Supers with better Mobility and Reals with better Armor.

Its only good points to speak of are having the UC standard loadout of sword, shield and gun, having 4 parts slots, and having a 5-range post-movement attack… but its base damage is so low, and its upgrades cost so high for so little return, that you couldn’t possibly see that last one as a selling point unless you’ve already made up your mind that you want to use this robot. To rub salt in the wound, it’s got a glacial default movement range of 5 tiles, meaning that in practice, its post-movement 5-range missiles are hardly an advantage.

Depending on the way you look at it, keeping this thing until the end of the game kind of constitutes a secret? I know the Jegan has some diehard fans out there, so if you are one, you'd better make your presence known soon so i can know not to lock myself out of it. And be aware that keeping the Jegan until the end also means picking it over the Thaqnz Zx-VVV (rot13).

Fun Fact: A rarity for mobile suits, the Jegan does not have a “front skirt”, e.g. the little mechanical flaps that usually cover the mobile suit’s “thighs”. This was apparently done to reduce the workload of drawing a bunch of Jegans onscreen during the movie.