TNT: KamiOto Volume 03 by Roy

Hey all I’m back with the third entry in Ryouma’s adventures for this week’s Translation Necessary Thursday. It’s KamiOto Volume 03 by Roy!

Plot: This continues Ryouma’s efforts at becoming self-sufficient and not relying on the Duke and his family as much. It’s a fun volume for the most part with Ryouma meeting his new employees and then going on a short adventure with his friend Elia.

Characters: We get some pretty interesting newcomers in this volume, though I think Leelin is my favorite. The rest of the cast is just as good as previous volumes.

Overall: A decent volume, but very light on action.

TNT: KamiOto Volume 02 by Roy

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m back with the sequel to the Isekai series I covered last time. It’s KamiOto Volume 02 by Roy!\

Plot: This volume is just as laid back as the first one, with Ryouma opening his own business being the main focus. If you were hoping he’d branch out from slimes you will be disappointed though.

Characters: We get introduced to a few new characters, but Ryouma is still the star of this show and frankly the newcomers aren’t all that impressive for the most part.

Overall: This is an okay sequel, but it’s very much a slow paced series, so if you were expecting tons of action you will be disappointed.

TNT: KamiOto Volume 01 by Roy

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m back with another Light Novel series. It’s KamiOto Volume 01 by Roy!

Plot: This is a fairly typical Isekai/Tensei story, although it takes it along the slow paced and slice of life variety rather than the action filled one of other series. That isn’t to say that there is no action, there is some, but it’s not the focus of the story. I personally enjoyed this volume quite a bit, even with how light on the action it is.

Characters: Ryouma is our main character and he’s a fairly laid back individual. The fact that his monster companion of choice is Slimes is a bit odd, but it fits him well. The rest of the cast is just as great as well.

Overall: A solid first volume in a series that is fairly good, if very laid back compared to most Isekai stories.

For those who like: Isekai, Tensei, Fantasy, Magic, Slow Paced Plot, Good Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Video Game Tuesday: Strategy Games

This week for Video Game Tuesday I’m back with a look at some different types of games and the bigger differences between them and the common features. It’s all about Strategy Games!

Strategy Games?: There are two main types of games that come to mind when you talk strategy games at least to me. There is the RTS, or Real Time Strategy, and TBS, or Turn-Based Strategy. They are very different in how you play them, and while there are some common strategies between the two, how you go about them is completely different.

RTS?: So RTS games are games like Starcraft or Command and Conquer. These take place in real time with you giving orders and building armies and bases to destroy your opponents. Often the biggest skill that professionals in this kind of game look for is APM, or Actions Per Minute. Getting 100+ APM consistently is generally a good thing and means you may be cut out to try becoming a pro if you so desire. If you can’t do that you’re unlikely to be able to ever compete at a professional level. I think I remember getting 100+ apm for brief spurts of time in some games of Starcraft 2, but I never considered myself ever cut out for the pro scene. One because I dislike competing immensely, and two because even getting 100+ for those brief times is already rather incredible with my physical disability.

TBS?: Games like the Civilization series are a good example, these aren’t always as action or war oriented, and sometimes you can even play a game and win without ever getting into conflict once, at least with AI opponents.  I tend to prefer these sorts of games, although I’ve not played too many strategy games in general with more in the RTS category, although those are mainly for the custom game maps and types that you could create in games like Warcraft 3. Angel Arena is still one of my favorite custom game types, beating over any DotA clone easily.

So what are some similarities between the two?: Well in both games the key to success, at least to me, is to always increase your production capabilities. This means increasing the number of your base or cities as the game progresses to constantly produce units that you may need to fight off an opponent quickly. In RTS games this means quickly building your worker units and getting a steady supply of resources as your first steps. Once that happens you can start building up your fighting force while constructing your base. In TBS games this is still the case, but it’s more about buildings and land improvements at least in the Civ series.

In addition always upgrading your units with tech upgrades as much as possible is always a key to winning, if your units can launch more powerful attacks than your opponent, battles will quickly turn your way even if you have the same amount of troops in a battle.

What’s different?: Well in RTS games speed is always going to be a priority, can you attack your enemy before they get a defense going? If so you have a quick victory in sights and can probably clinch a fast win. In TBS games, it’s more about location and choke points. If you can block your enemy from getting resources or funnel them into one area you can easily defend your bases and prevent them from overwhelming you.

That’s it for this week’s Video Game Tuesday. What are some of your favorite strategy games? What type are they? Leave a comment below!

 

Anime Sunday: Grimgal Episode 01 Impressions

Hi all for this week’s Anime Sunday I’m taking a look at a series I’ve been really looking forward to. It’s my Grimgal Episode 01 Impressions.

Plot Synopsis: Before Haruhiro had realized what happened, he was surrounded by darkness. Why was he here?

Where was here? Even now, he still didn’t know. Those around him were the same as him, no one remembered anything other than their own names. And when they emerged from the darkness, the world that awaited them seemed like something out of a game.

In order to survive, Haruhiro forms a party with the others, learns fighting skills, and as a soldier in the reserve force, takes his first steps into the world of Grimgal. What awaits him there, he doesn’t know…

Plot: The plot seems to be super slow paced and I’m enjoying that immensely. Hopefully it stays slow, as that would be an incredibly welcome break from the fast paced crap we get from most Light Novel adaptations, like Saijaku or Campione.

Characters: Haruhiro is our main character and the rest of the group he’s with seem pretty great thus far. Except for Ranta, he seems like an asshole who I’d kick in the balls if I ever met him. That being said so far we don’t know much about the group other than Moguzo is the Warrior, Manato is the Priest, Shihoru is the Mage, Yume the Ranger, Ranta the Dark Knight, and Haruhiro is the thief. However they don’t have any expert skills and they struggle, like a normal person would. I enjoy that, as it’s a welcome change of pace from series like KonoSuba or Mondaiji.

Art: Here is where the series really shines, everything is breathtakingly beautiful, and I loved pretty much everything. I can’t find a fault, and it so closely approaches ufotable quality that if I didn’t know better I’d say it was ufotable who made this. However A-1 did great, now if only more series had this level of detail and breathtaking beauty.

Music: The music is great too, I enjoyed the musical score, themes and the insert song all very much.

Overall: This is a must watch series, it’s slow paced and wonderfully animated.

For those who like: Transported to a Different World Stories, Slow Paced Plots, Drama, Action, Fantasy, Breathtaking Artwork, Fantastic Musical Score, Excellent Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.