OFF - Game Review

I had heard about this PC game from a convention and didn't really think much of it.  All I had heard about is that there was some guy called "the Batter" and a cat that followed him around.  It wasn't until recently that I actually downloaded the game and fell in love with it.

OFF was created by French game designer, Mortis Ghost.  Both the game play and animation is simple which contrasts with its elaborate story line and characters.  It focuses around the Batter, a black and white seemingly faceless puppet who is controlled by you, who has made it his duty to go around purifying the land with his righteous bat.  The Batter is guided by the Judge and supplied by a masked merchant named Zacharie.  The Batter must go through Zones 0 through 3 fighting off various types of spectres, helping the helpless Elsen (inhabitants of the Zones), solving puzzles, and - of course - purifying each Zone.

OFF is unlike any game I've ever played before.  This is because of the clever story line and the immersive atmosphere.  

In the beginning of the game, the Batter's objective seems pretty straight forward.  It seems that he wants to purify the Zones and get rid of the spectres and evil bosses to help the Elsen but as the game progresses, his intentions seem to become more and more radical.  This makes for some very interesting game play as the player begins to sense that something is wrong yet can do nothing but progress through with the Batter's twisted intentions.

OFF is one of those games in which you have to wear headphones while playing it.  You absolutely have to or you won't be able to get the full experience.  The music is fantastic and the ambiance will completely transport you into the game.  

While the animation and graphics are not as advanced as some of the more popular games today, the art work is amazing.  As a self-proclaimed artist myself, I envy the creativity and complexity of some of the spectres and characters the Batter comes across.  Here's some concept art so you can have a look for yourself:

Well, I think that's all I have to say about OFF - or at least all I can say without spoiling too much.  OFF was such a fun game and I think I might actually play it again soon. 
If you'd like to play OFF yourself the download link is here - it's free by the way.
Here's a picture of Zacharie because he's my favorite and I just wanted to slip him in here:

So I guess this was my last blog post?  Yeah.  Who knows? Maybe I'll post more about my cosplay stuff in the future but I guess it's good bye for now!

-René

Cosplay Line-up: Part 2???

It's been like three days since I posted my last cosplay line-up and guess what? It's already expanded! I did say it was subject to change so you really should have expected this.
Anyways! In addition to Kotetsu and Atsushi, I have added two definite cosplays and a tentative third one.  I have also decided to wear Kotetsu's cosplay for next Anime Boston but I am still unsure of when i'll wear Atsushi's cosplay.  I don't know, I'll have to work it out with my cosplay buddy.

Kaworu Nagisa from Evangelion

Yep.  I'm totally getting the angel wings for his costume too - if only to make people cry hehe.  I'm really excited to cosplay Kaworu.  I mean, he's basically gay space Jesus (don't question it) and his personality is so much fun.  He reminds me a lot of Clear from DMMD and I had a lot of fun as Clear.  Kaworu's cosplay should be fairly easy and I don't think that it will cost much at all.  The only thing that would cost a lot would be colored contacts for his red eyes but I am still uncertain about getting colored contacts as I have heard MANY horror stories about them.  I am hoping to cosplay Kaworu at next year's Queen City Kamikaze with my cosplay buddy going as Kaworu's boyfriend, Shinji.  

Makoto Tachibana from Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

I've always loved Mako so I figured that his cosplay would make my list sooner or later. Mako's the mom friend (aka Mamakoto) of his group and I can totally relate to him.  He's super caring and super sweet but can get really intense and competitive during races.  His cosplay shouldn't be too hard to do as the only expensive things I need to buy would be the Iwatobi Swim Club jacket (the one he's wearing in the gif) and his wig.  I'm not sure when I'll cosplay this kid but I'm hoping for the Friday of next Anime Boston.

En Yufuin from Cute High Earth Defense Club Love! (Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouie Bu Love, or BKCBL)

Okay, so here's the tentative third cosplay I mentioned earlier.  I haven't finished BKCBL but I plan to over the Summer.  En is my absolute favorite character so far and he seems really interesting to cosplay. I love his costume (the white and blue one) and his personality is unlike any character I've cosplayed before.  He's not outgoing or cute or shy.  He's blunt and quiet - and I love it.  The problem is that 1. my cosplay body isn't interested in BKCBL, and 2. his costume is super elaborate and will probably be super expensive.  Gah, I really want to cosplay him though! I haven't really seen anyone cosplay from BKCBL and I know BKCBL has a large following so I know his cosplay would go over super well. Sigh.

Ah, I have a lot of stuff to do - and a lot more thinking and planning to do.  I am really excited about all of these cosplays and I really hope that they all turn out well.  As always - expect updates and changes in the future!

-René

Cosplay Line-up! (again)

Anime Boston ended only a couple weeks ago but I have to say that I am already asking, "Is it Anime Boston yet?"  SIGH.  There isn't another convention until October and the post-con depression has definitely set in.  Instead of wallowing, I decided to turn my depression around into creativity and hopefulness so I started my next cosplay line-up!

Kotetsu T. Kaburagi from Tiger and Bunny

I'm just a few episodes away from finishing Tiger and Bunny and I am already crying just thinking about it.  I never thought I could have loved a super hero anime as much as I do Tiger and Bunny.  It's definitely in my top five list of favorite anime and Kotetsu, aka Wild Tiger, is definitely on my top five favorite character's list.  Kotetsu's the classic hero-type and puts others' needs way before his own.  I absolutely love his casual clothes and am already super excited to cosplay him.  I am hoping to also pair his mask, which casually conceals his identity, with his costume.  Having seen a couple Kotetsu cosplayers at Anime Boston, I don't like either of the popular choices of drawing the mask on or making a paper mask so I'm hoping to find a third option of making it. 

Atsushi Murasakibara from Kuroko no Basket (KnB)

To be honest, I haven't really watched much of KnB.  It's a basketball sports anime - if you didn't already guess - and sometimes sports anime is kind of hard for me to get into.  I've only watched about 3 episodes but I am hoping to watch more soon. Atsushi isn't exactly a main character but he is probably one of my favorites - despite the fact I haven't even seen him in the anime yet.  He's about 6'10" and absolutely loves sweets and junk food.  Despite playing basketball extremely well, he doesn't care for the sport at all.  While I have little basketball experience; I am pretty tall (not 6'10" tall but pretty tall), I do love junk food, and I don't like sports.  Atsushi seemed like a good character for me.  Sports anime is usually really fun and easy to cosplay so I'm hoping Atsushi's cosplay will be less stressful.  Plus I love his wig.

That's pretty much all I've got planned for now.  I know that I'll definitely add (and maybe even subtract) more later on so expect a couple more of these line-ups!

-René

Anime Boston Review: There are too Many Tears

Anime Boston was so great.  I am still sooooo tired.  And doubled with Tech week this week, it has pretty much been hell.  But Anime Boston was SO worth it (the play has been fun too tbh)!

I got so much stuff.  This AB was definitely one of the more expensive ones.  Not including cosplay expenses, we spent $1300 at Anime Boston.  We spent about $500 on just snacks and merchandise.  Which is a lot more than we usually spend but we made some awesome purchases.

At every anime convention I've attended, they've had these giant plush alpacas.  I bought a smaller one at my first AB but this year, I finally broke.  I did it.  I bought a big one.  But it's so cute and squishy and I love sleeping on it and it came with a little cape and I LOVE IT.

Just look at it! How could you resist buying one of these cuties?

This year, I finally broke on another purchase which had been haunting me for a while.  FIGURINES.  I always see them and I always want them but they can be pretty expensive so I usually refused to let myself buy one.  In addition to being expensive, they can also be pretty addictive.  I mean if you just buy one, the figurine looks lonely so you just have to keep buying more and more.  I ended up buying a medium sized figurine of my favorite character from Tiger&Bunny, Barnaby Brooks Jr., for about $15, which is a GREAT deal as some can go for upwards of $60 or $100.  I also bought a smaller figurine of Keith Goodman and his dog, John, also from Tiger&Bunny for about $8 which is even better!

Pretty much all my cosplays were well received at AB, which is good because a lot of experienced cosplayers come to AB to show off their stuff.  On Friday, I went as Asahi Azumane from Haikyuu!!.  Everyone LOVED my cosplay and kept telling me I looked perfect as him.  On Saturday I went as Clear from DMMD in the morning and Asahi again in the evening.  I was supposed to go as Kurloz Makara from Homestuck but due to a hiccup in my packing I was unable to (apparently I had forgot to pack my leggings for the costume *facepalm*).  But all was well.  Everyone loved me as Clear and I had a great time as him.  I think that it's safe to say that I had the best gas mask out of all the Clears at AB.  Going as Asahi again was really fun and we ended up playing a game of volleyball with some new friends! On Sunday, I went as Shima Renzou from Blue Exorcist.  Although I was nervous about his cosplay, it was really well received.  I got a ton of pictures and selfies taken with him.  It was so great.

Here are some selfies of me from each day:

I had such a great time at Anime Boston and I made some great new friends! We're hoping to see each other and cosplay together over the summer. Ah, I can't wait!

-René

Cosplay Progress: Asahi Azumane

I am super excited! I managed to finish another one of my cosplays!  That means I only have one more to finish up before next weekend's convention!  


The cosplay I finished was Asahi Azumane, the ace of Karasuno High's volleyball team in the anime, Haikyuu!! Ya know, this cutie pie?

I'm really excited at how the cosplay is looking. His uniform, which I got for Christmas, is perfect.

I got all the necessary accessories including a headband, a knee pad, and a volleyball that looks exactly like the ones they have in the anime!

I decided that I didn't want to pay like $80 for a new pair of black and white sneakers so I'm using my normal sneakers.  I figured that they're just shoes and no one's going to care anyway.

I put most of my time into the wig on this cosplay.  Asahi has long hair and usually wears it up in a messy bun.  Wigs and up-dos are probably the worst combination.  Ponytails and tight bun are easy as you can just buy clip-on attachments.  But it's a little harder to style a messy bun since no one thought it'd be a good idea to make those into clip-on.  So I ended up buying a long wig and cutting it.  Cutting wigs usually makes them itchier than they already are but I decided that I would just have to put up with it.  I'm really happy with the results!

Ah, I'm so excited for next weekend!  All I have to do is get some touch-ups done on my other cosplays and finish Shima's cosplay.  It's gonna be so great and I cannot wait!

-René

Queen City Kamikaze Review

My convention cravings have been sated... for now at least.  Queen City KamiKaze is a super small convention at Manchester Memorial High School in Manchester, NH.  I have been going to QCK for three years now.  It's been fun every year but this year was definitely the best yet!

I know that cons grow bigger every year but I was amazed to see how big QCK had gotten this year.  In past years, the convention had taken place in a few of the main halls of the school, the cafeteria, the auditorium, and the gymnasium.  They're were several artist and merchandise booths set up throughout the halls and the cafeteria.  There was limited and mostly greasy food for sale in the cafeteria.  A dance was held in the gym with a pretty cool DJ playing various anime and Disney songs.  It was always a fun and low-stress kind of con.

This year, QCK was still very low stress but holy crap did it grow!  At first when my friends and I walked in, it looked the same.  There were a few booths selling art prints scattered around the hall which we scanned as we made our way to the cafeteria.  At first, the cafeteria looked pretty barren.  There were a couple booths selling art and merchandise and a few game consoles set up.  There was a whole bunch of food though! There was even one booth that was selling fresh lemonade.  It looked pretty good although the booths looked kind of sparse.  Then we made our way to the gym to check out the dance.  Well, weren't we surprised.  There were at least 30 different booths packed into the gym selling everything from manga to plushies to handcrafted jewelry! It was amazing and I probably spent like $80 which is waaayyy more than I ever expected to pay at such a small convention.  The auditorium events were pretty fun, my favorite had to be the Anime Dating Game which my best friend actually participated in.

As QCK is such a small convention, the cosplay isn't always breathtaking.  The cosplay is toned down but it just makes it more fun.  You no longer feel unworthy to ask some flawless cosplayer if you can take their picture.  I got to meet a bunch of new people and catch up with a lot of my old cosplay friends.

Overall it was a great con!  I had so much!  My only regret is not taking more pictures!  I can't wait until Anime Boston.  It's only a few weeks away now!!

-René

The List That Nobody Needed: Top Ten Worst Anime Deaths

*SPOILER ALERT, duh.*

10.  Euphemia li Britannia from Code Geass

Ow.  I haven't watched Code Geass in a while but when I remembered Euphemia's death, all the feels hit me.  Euphemia died after she was ordered to be killed in a resistance movement.  She had been under the mind control of the main character of Code Geass and had started massacring people after she was given the order as a sarcastic joke.  The main character tried to stop her but ultimately could not.  It was so hard watching him give the command to kill her!

9. Shiro Fujimoto from Blue Exorcist 

Mr. Fujimoto was quite possibly the coolest dad ever.  Along with being a cool priest, he raised both of the Satan's sons (who grew up quite well, fyi) and was considered to be the most powerful exorcist in the world.  He had managed to keep Satan from possessing his body by sheer willpower but was ultimately taken over.  I remember almost bawling as I watched one of his sons try to pull him back from sinking into the hell-realm of Gehenna.  

8. Seiko Shinohara and Yui Shishido from Corpse Party

Okay, so I get that the game is called Corpse Party but these two had me hurting real bad.  First of all, Seiko did not deserve to die and neither did Ms. Yui!  Seiko's death was horrible as her possessed best friend hung her in the girl's bathrooms. And Ms. Yui's death was even worse.  Ms. Yui just wanted to make sure all her students were okay.  She genuinely cared for them yet she had to die too.  I loved both of these characters so I had them share a slot as both their deaths were equally horrible.

7. Light Yagami from Death Note

I knew it was going to happen eventually but I still cried.  Light honestly had it coming as he had been on a massive killing spree (albeit it was of mostly criminals who were on death row anyway). His death had been foreshadowed since like episode 5 and it was kind of obvious that he was going to be found out eventually.  But through all of his screaming and his superiority complex, you can really hear how troubled he was in his last moments.  Light must have been under immense stress. He just wanted to do what he thought was right.  It was so sad watching him die.

6. Sousuke Yamazaki('s dreams) from Free! Eternal Summer

Okay, so it probably sounds stupid but I cried way too much to not have this guy on the list even though he didn't actually die.  Sousuke was training to be an Olympic swimmer.  It was his dream to be able take on his best friend in the Olympics but in his training process, he overworked his shoulder.  At first he tried to ignore the pain but it just got worse.  He had had to stop swimming for awhile and underwent physical therapy.  When Sousuke started swimming again in his last year of high school hoping to get scouted, he overworked it again.  Everything he had worked for had gone to waste and his dreams were shattered.  I was absolutely heartbroken when he broke down right before his last race.  I'm tearing up right now.

5. Madoka Kaname from Madoka Magica: Puella Magi

Madoka Magica may seem like a cute anime but it is absolutely heartbreaking to watch.  Which makes it one of my favorite animes, haha.  Madoka is another weird one as she technically didn't die either.  Rather, she gave up herself to save girls just like her from the evil forces of a higher advanced planet that wanted to suck the energy from teenage girls.  So she kinda became a god and, as she said to her best friend in her final moments, would be all around us.  So Madoka = Jesus???? Who knows?  But watching Madoka in her final battle was one of the saddest and most epic things I've ever seen.  I had to actually pause Netflix so I could just cry for a moment.  

4. Ryouko Fueguchi from Tokyo Ghoul

She may look pretty scary but she's probably one of the most tragic anime mom deaths I've seen in awhile (a lot of anime moms die ok).  A ghoul is basically a different species that can only survive off of human flesh.  The ghouls are hunted down by an agency that is trying to protect human lives at all costs.  Not all ghouls are bad but most of them are pretty horrible.  Ryouko's husband was forced to make and sell equipment and weapons to a group of bad ghouls.  To protect their daughter, Ryouko fled with her to a safer part of the city.  She was killed with her husbands own weapon within earshot of her daughter.  I was bawling.  It was so painful to watch.

3. Kaworu Nagisa from Evangelion

'90s anime, am I right? I am currently in the process of watching Evangelion and I haven't quite come across Kaworu yet.  But, as this anime debuted in 1995, Kaworu's unfortunate end has been spoiled countless times for me.  I have seen too many gifs of this poor boy exploding next to his best friend (who am I kidding those two were totally dating).  I remember going to a convention and seeing a Kaworu with angel wings and a halo.  My friend had to pull me away from them before I started bawling my eyes out. Kaworu definitely earned his spot on this list when I start crying even though I haven't even seen him in the anime yet. (Beware of white/silver haired anime boys! They always break you heart.)

2. Marco Bodt from Attack on Titan

If you've never heard of Attack on Titan, just think of giant people eating all of your favorite characters and that's basically it.  The humans in Attack on Titan are fighting a war against the giant titans and are pretty much losing.  Marco died shortly after he graduated from the training corps.  After helping a couple of his fellow soldiers during a titan attack, Marco disappeared from the episode until his best friend (also probably his boyfriend), Jean, later found his half-eaten body.  Marco's death was not only shocking but it also really kept with the viewer as every time Jean would go into battle, he would think about Marco and sometimes scream Marco's name.  It was not only painful to watch Jean find Marco's dead body but also to see how Marco's death affected Jean.  It was like double the pain and double the tears to watch Jean cry over Marco's death.
(Here's an extra gif of Jean slapping Marco awake because Jean basically sums up the whole fandom's thoughts on Marco's death)

1. Major Maes Hughes from Full Metal Alchemist

Oh boy.  Here come the waterworks.  Maes Hughes's death stayed with me for months after I had watched the episode. He's definitely one of my favorite anime characters.  Maes was a great comic relief character which made seeing him in such pain and struggle much, much worse.  Maes was trying to make an important phone call when he was confronted by the human embodiment of Envy, who is able to shapshift.  Envy held a gun to Maes's back as Envy forced him to hang up the phone.  Maes quickly turned around to shoot Envy with his own gun but stopped when he saw his wife's face.  He knew that it wasn't really her but he just couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger.  His death was hard to watch but what was even harder was watching his funeral.  His daughter, who did not quite understand what was going on, kept saying things like "why are they burying daddy?", "Daddy has work to finish!", and "Don't bury him, he needs to finish his work!"  My heart actually hurts just typing those sentences.  I remember crying for at least 20 minutes after the episode and couldn't bring myself to watch the next one for like two weeks afterwards.

Alright, I'm gonna go cry now.

-René