Odds and Ends - Jan 21, 2012

Due to my insanely busy schedule I can't keep this blog up as frequently as I have in the past, so here are some interesting tidbits and news stories that I felt was important that has happened over the past couple of weeks. They span all the major topics that this blog covers, including anime, manga, cosplay, and video games. Enjoy!!

• Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 Dated and Rated
• Atelier Meruru release month announced
• Dusk Maiden of Amnesia gets Anime on Spring 2012
• Riverside Lunar Festival Cosplay Fashion Show Tidbits

Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 Dated and Rated

Hyperdimension Neptunia got quite a bit of focus because of its cute character designs, funny script, and interesting take on the console wars. The game was popular enough to have a sequel produced and to have this sequel be released in North America. Nippon Ichi Software America has announced that Hyperdimenion Neptunia Mk 2 is getting a European Release Date of February 24, 2012 and a North American release date of February 28th, 2012. It is also official that the game is rated Mature for fantasy violence, sexual themes, and language. The game had strong suggestive themes and costume design that was quite racy, the sequel ratchets up the sexual content compared to the original game.

The lead character of the sequel is Nepgear, Neptune's little sister. Her name is a reference to the successful Sega Game Gear that was the most successful rival to Nintendo's dominance until the Sony PSP was released. In the story, all the current Goddesses have been kidnapped and Nepgear must rally the candidate goddesses in Gameindustri to save them. The game features graphical upgrades, a racier storyline, and the great sense of humor that endeared many westerners to the franchise.

There is a limited edition box set that is only being sold in NIS America's online store. The box set includes a collectors box, a hardcover artbook, playing card deck, game OST, and of course the PS3 release of the game. All of it is available for $64.99 and if history is any indication it will sell out extremely fast. Look for a lengthy review from yours truly in Mid-March.

Here is the official North American website for Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2.

Atelier Meruru release month announced

The Atelier franchise is known for its unique take on the Japanese Role Playing Game, with a strong focus on alchemy and its female dominated cast of characters. If you have read my reviews, I am a huge fan of the franchise and I think that Atelier Totori is one of the best games released in the USA last year. The franchise features gorgeous graphics, amazing art from Mel Kishida, and some of the best video game music out there. It is one of the hidden gems in the RPG family that perfects the franchise formula to a level that almost brings it up to masterpiece-level. I was very pleased to see that the sequel to Atelier Totori was announced for release in the United States.

The game will be released in North America this May, and it will likely be the last GUST game that is published by NIS America due to the recent company purchase of Koei Tecmo. NIS America has been good to GUST games, so if you are looking to play an amazing RPG, I highly suggest playing Atelier Totori and its sequel Atelier Meruru that ends the PS3 trilogy.

Official NA site for Atelier Meruru

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia gets Anime on Spring 2012

Tasogare Otome x Amnesia is one of my favorite manga released by Square Enix. It was recently announced that the insanely popular manga will have an anime iteration. The downside is that the anime will not be released until the Spring of this year. That's right, the anime of this series will not see the light of day until Spring 2012. When you have the chance, watch and support this great series. I hope it also means that the manga will get a USA license so that I can stop buying the import release of the series.

The manga follows the adventures Niiya Teiichi, a freshman in high school and his friend Yuuko. She is a beautiful long haired well-endowed girl who is very clingy to Niiya. The issue, Yuuko is dead and she is a ghost haunting the hall of the high school that Niiya is attending. Together Niiya and Yuuko form a paranormal research club with the intention of finding out the ghostly secrets of the high school, and to determine the cause of Yuuko's death.

The franchise is full of nudity and fanservice, so I can imagine that this will be very popular when it is released in anime form.

Japanese Website

Riverside Lunar Festival 2012 Cosplay Fashion Show Tidbits 

The Riverside Lunar Festival is happening next week and if you didn't know, I am running both the Cosplay Gathering and the Cosplay Fashion show. The Riverside Lunar Festival has been very supportive of this event and it will be the largest cosplay event in the Inland Empire. The response for this event has exceeded all my expectations and I am looking forward to the heavy representation from the cosplay community. With this support from the Lunar Festival and the Cosplay Community we can make the cosplay aspect of the Riverside Lunar Festival a strong one.

Cosplay Gathering - Starts at 2pm

• Pagoda between the Library and Mission Inn
• Gathering starts at 2pm, but feel free to arrive earlier
• I will be there to give AX Hatsune Miku poster and AX 2012 postcards

Cosplay Fashion Show - 3:10pm - 4:10pm

• At the Library stage in front of Riverside Library
• Master of Ceremonies are Anime Expo's Richard Phon and Samuel Wall
• Free T-shirts given to all fashion show participants
• Maximum number of entries are 50 total
• If you are participating, sign page 2 and 3 of this waiver and a white sheet of paper detailing real name/stage name, cosplay character, cosplay series. I will have 40 copies on hand at the cosplay gathering.
• When you submit the forms, we will give you an entry number and you can place the sticker anywhere so that you remember your position.
• There will be two parts: single walk where you walk, pose, and then walk back to stage right. All cosplayers walk up in the end for a group photo and applause

At 6:30pm the night sky will light up with an amazing fireworks show to end the Lunar Festival, so if you can stay that long, enjoy the fireworks.

Feel free to get more information from the cosplay.com thread or our facebook page. From here I fully intend to make this a bigger event in the future, so any help from the cosplay community is greatly valued.

2012 Performance Schedule
Riverside Lunar Festival Website