The latest character trailer for Persona 4: Dancing All Night introduces Yukiko Amagi, the close friend of Chie and the only daughter to the owners of the long-running Amagi Inn, as she implements her ballet training into her dance routines. In the trailer below you’ll see that Yukiko will have a number of different costume choices similar to rest of the characters in Persona 4: Dancing All Night.
Currently Persona 4: Dancing All Night is set to be released on the PS Vita in Japan on June 25th and Atlus USA has already announced that they plan on releasing the title in the West sometime in the future.
Remember Moero Chronicle? It was the follow up to Monster Monpiece and despite the latter title being released in the West, Moero Chronicle was never given a shot despite being released in Japan in May 2014.
Well soon you’ll have the opportunity to play the title in English because the Asian release of Idea Factory’s game will not only feature Chinese subtitles set to the Japanese voice work, but English subtitles as well.
Currently the title, now named Moe Chronicle, is set to be released in Asia on May 5th and those looking to pick up this uncensored release can pre-order the game for $42.99 from Play-Asia. It is worth noting that since the PlayStation Vita is not region locked when it comes to retail releases, this Asian release will work on any Vita.
Since the entirety of Resident Evil Revelations 2 was released back in March it is easy to forget that alongside the title’s release on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC, that Capcom‘s game was also supposed to be released on the PlayStation Vita at some point. Now a month after the retail release of the episodic game it appears that we have at least some sort of release window for the PS Vita version of Resident Evil Revelations 2.
Sony has released an updatesaying that the PS Vita port will be released sometime in the Summer and is being handled by Frim Studio. When released it will contain all four episodes as well as any DLC released for the game though currently the Raid Mode will be single-player only when it is released but they are “most likely” going to patch co-op in post-launch. Those interested in whether or not the title will be worth picking up can check out our review of the Xbox One version of the title here.
NIS America has announced that they are bringing a number of Atlus USA’s titles over to Europe though fans in these regions will still have to wait a bit longer than their US counterparts as all of the release dates are currently set for late 2015 and early 2016.
NIS America will be releasing three Nintendo 3DS games in the form of Etrian Mystery Dungeon in Fall 2015, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker in Fall 2015, and Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight in early 2016. They will also be releasing the recently announced Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal in Fall 2015.
Atlus USA has announced that they will be bringing Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal to the PlayStation Vita in North America this summer where it will be available both at retail and digitally. This 2014 game is a port of the 2013 PSP RPG that never saw release in the West.
Developed by AquaPlus, players take on the role of Fried, an adventurer from the Royal Library as he forms a party of female warriors, mages, and more to fight against monsters that have stared to roam the land. Each of the girls is one of five base classes and can branch into more than thirty different sub-classes as you advance in the game.
While exploring dungeons players will also be able to trigger sub-events that will serve as character development between Fried and the girls he is with. When the title is released it will feature the original Japanese voice track with English subtitles.
Klei Entertainment has announced that a full release of their indiecyberpunk stealth-strategy game — Invisible, Inc. — will be released via Steam on May 12, 2015. Not only this, but they have also announced development on a PlayStation 4 version of the game with a release date to be announced.
Invisible, Inc. had been available on Steam Early Access for $15.99 US since August 9, 2014 while Klei continued their development. But now, the Early Access sales have been turned off, meaning all who have not made the purchase before today must wait until the May release. This was said to alerted to fans earlier this month in the most recent development update. The last Early Access update — Update 9 — was released in January.
Invisible, Inc. will be released on May 12, 2015 on Steam for Windows PC, Mac, and Linux.
For a while now, Square Enix had been teasing a secret project. We now know this project to be the return of the Star Ocean franchise with the fifth installation, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness.
Check out the Japanese announcement trailer below:
Developed by Star Ocean creators, tri-Ace — which last brought us Phantasy Star Nova — Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness does not yet have a release date. We do, however, know that the game is set to take place between the events in Star Ocean 2 and Star Ocean 3. Below is the game prologue (graciously translated by Kotaku):
Do the depths of space forbid peace for mankind—
Centuries after leaving Earth, after a multitude of trials, with the creation and spread of the ‘Galactic Federation’, humanity was on the verge of unified order and peace.
But the embers of conflict have begun to burn again.
Over 6,000 light years from Earth, on the unsettled planet, ‘Faicreed.’
Just as so many times before, the waves of history begin from a remote planet.
Below are the first promotional images from the Japanese press release (click for full size) from the PlayStation 4 version:
Thanks to Kotaku for also scanning images from Japanese gaming magazine, Weekly Famitsu, which we have provided below:
Fidel Camus, the game’s protagonist:
His childhood friend, Miki:
Lilia, a character they meet on their travels:
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is currently said to be 30 percent developed at this time and will be available on PlayStation 4 as well as PlayStation 3.
In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the municipal government of Choufu, which is known as “Film Town” due to the large number of local film production companies established there, a special radio program called “Kaiju Radio by Shigenori Takatera” will be broadcast on May the 1st from midnight to 1am.
The program will explore Takatera’s opinion of special effects (tokusatsu) and will feature special guest Yuuji Kishi, who played Jinnai Kyousuke/Red Racer in the 1996 series Gekisou Sentai Carranger. It will be broadcast on Choufu FM 83.8MHz. The program can also be listened to on Choufu FM’s website, available here.
For those who do not know, Shigenori Takatera worked as a producer for Kamen Rider Kuuga and Kamen Rider Hibiki and wrote Kamen Rider Kuuga: Odyssey, which expands on Kuuga’s mythology.
It is not too often that a Western literary work gets adapted into an anime series; Studio Ghibli is the only Japanese animation company to produce film adaptations of them on a regular basis. Emily Rodda’s fantasy novel series Deltora Quest received a 52-episode adaptation in 2006 by OLM, a company known for their work on the long-running anime series Pokémon. Following this, 13 original episodes were produced. Unfortunately, only the first 52 episodes were adapted into English, and only in a heavily edited form. Is this release worth picking up, or is it yet another addition to the long list of series that have been ruined by heavily edited English adaptations?
Story
The Shadow Lord, who is reminiscent of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings, came from the Shadow Lands to take over the land of Deltora. Unable to protect the magical Belt of Deltora, King Endon and his wife Sharna escaped the palace of Del. The seven gems that belonged on the belt were scattered across the land by the Ak-Baba, ending up in the seven most dangerous places in the land. Now, Lief has decided to set out on a journey to find the seven gems of Deltora, each of which has a unique ability that affects whoever touches it. Joining him is Barda, a man who served as a guard in the palace of Del and lived with Lief’s family under the guise of a beggar. Unbeknownst to Lief, Barda has actually been protecting him throughout the first sixteen years of his life. The two head out towards the Forest of Silence, where the first gem is said to be. Their journey quickly grinds to a halt, however, as the two are captured and poisoned by the Wenn, who are intending on using them as a sacrifice to the Wennbar, a giant monster that will otherwise eat the Wenn instead.
It is here that they meet Jasmine, who is to become their companion. Initially believing them to be the Shadow Lord’s Grey Guards, she does nothing to save them and steals Lief’s magical cloak. It is then revealed that she can talk to the trees, one of whom tells her that Lief and Barda are not her enemy. Once she saves them, they set out towards the Dark, the most evil place in the forest. This is where the first gem is said to be hidden. Lief attempts to defeat the Jalis guardian Gorl with Barda’s help, as the gem turns out to be located on Gorl’s sword. Jasmine, who did not follow them into the Dark, returns to save the day and defeat Gorl, whose body had actually decayed a long time ago. The three then set out towards the Lake of Tears, home of the evil sorceress Thaegan, on the next part of their quest to save their kingdom.
One thing that sets this apart from high-fantasy series is the way Thaegan casts spells; she always says her name at the end of casting a spell, one of thankfully few reminders that this series is in fact aimed at children. After Jasmine’s raven friend Kree manages to kill Thaegan, she is brought back to life and later attempts to stop Lief and friends from continuing on their journey again. Thaegan’s many children trap them on multiple occasions, but Lief, Barda and Jasmine, along with the help of the gems and the unique citizens of Del, always think of a solution to every problem, including the many difficult riddles they must solve on their journey.
This series is not simply about defeating the enemies and locating the seven gems; it is about the people of Del. It is about helping every person they come across, including Manus, one of the Ralad people, and Prin, one of the Kin. They help those that need it, as well as those that have been turned evil by the Shadow Lord and his minions. These people in turn help out Lief and his friends in whatever way they can, and Lief eventually earns the support of what seems like just about everyone in all of Deltora. One thing that Emily Rodda was not afraid of doing was throwing in plenty of plot twists; characters are not always who they initially seem to be or even what they seem to be, which makes watching the series a second time just as enjoyable as watching it for the first time.
Visuals
The animation in this series is high quality, as expected from OLM. Many monsters are animated using 3DCG technology while the majority of animation is 2D, and the end result is a surprisingly effective blend of different styles that never detracts from the quality of the visuals. The character designs are also well-drawn; each of the main characters has a unique look. However, the background characters often look like the typical background characters you will find in any fantasy anime; this is particularly noticeable in the first episode. It has been said that the character designs do not strictly adhere to the descriptions provided in the original novels, but this does not harm the quality of the adaptation. It is difficult to say whether or not the eye-catches are exclusive to the English version or if they were present in the original Japanese version too, but it is nice to see them included nonetheless, as they are not commonly present/kept in English adaptations of anime. One thing that may bother some viewers is that episode 29 is mainly a clipshow. This episode does feature some new scenes, but the sheer amount of flashbacks to events earlier in the series suggests that there were some production issues with this episode.
Given that the adaptation is based on a series of books aimed at children, the violence is as minimal as is possible, and there is no fan-service or sexualisation present whatsoever. The end result is that this is one of very few anime series to be free of the problems that plague the majority of modern anime. It should be noted that some of the violence may disturb younger viewers; the Grey Guards explode into a puff of dirty-looking smoke upon being struck by a sword, leaving only their uniforms behind.
Audio
The audio is a mixed-bag with this release. That Madman did not or was not able to license the original Japanese version will undoubtedly cause many people to avoid this release, and even fans who prefer English dubs will likely have some issues with the with it. The voice acting is weak in the beginning, for the most part; only the antagonists having convincing voices in the first few episodes. It takes some time for the voice actors, particularly Lief’s voice actor Cole Howard and Barda’s voice actor Tom Edwards, to get into their roles. Once this does happen, the voice acting remains consistent and convincing throughout the series. The script writing is reasonably good for an edited adaptation; it is likely that some changes were made to the script to deal with the riddles, but the dialogue is much better than the ’90 slang-filled dialogue people expected from 4Kids and expect from current anime adapters such as The Pokémon Company International.
The music is not as bad as it could have been. The majority of it fits quite well and is nice to listen too, but it is obvious that it does not belong in anime. There are moments of silence, marking another difference between this adaptation and other edited anime adaptations, but there are still occasions where several average-sounding pieces of music will play in direct succession for no good reason.
Extras
There are no extras present in this release, and this box-set is simply a basic repackaging of the previous releases. The discs are exactly the same as the discs included in the four collections. There is also a spelling error on the side of the box-set; the word ‘collection’ being spelled ‘collcetion’. Hopefully this error will be fixed if the box-set gets reprinted.
Overall
Deltora Quest is a well-written fantasy series that is suitable for both children above a certain age and adults. It discusses important themes such as freedom and friendship and manages to be entertaining and emotional as well, without resorting to using any of the cheap tactics to entice viewers that most anime series use these days. Given that Madman’s release only includes the 52 episodes of the English adaptation and not the 65 episodes of the original Japanese version, whether or not you decide to buy this release will depend on how you feel about edits being made to anime. If you cannot stand the idea of anime being edited from its original version, steer clear of this release. If you do not mind edited anime, or are a fan of the original Australian novels, then consider picking up this release. Despite the edits, it is an great addition to the fantasy genre.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Many manga fans in Australia import their manga from the U.S., and some even import manga from Japan. Madman Entertainment releases dozens of manga volumes a month in Australia, but Random House Books Australia releases several volumes of manga a month as well. Here is the list of manga volumes that they have just released in Australia:
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