Koutetsujou no Kabaneri - Episode 3: Settling Distrust

With the kind of action Kabaneri gave us the last two episodes, and the promising plotline, the third episode would explain to us more, and make Ikoma settle with being a kabaneri, and coping with the fact... and that there's something more sinister to being one than first thought. So, spoilers ahead, intentional or otherwise, in this third episode of Koutetsujou no Kabaneri: Prayer Offer.

We started right where we left off, and it seems that Kurusu once more leveled his gun at Mumei, still uncertain of the nature of the kabane and kabaneri. Thankfully, Ayame stepped in and decided to trust these newcomers. Perhaps a cliched character, the fair princess.

However, Ayame here could prove to be interesting. Cheeky, or perhaps sassy, may be the way to describe her. All-around, not someone you want to mess with. Just look at how she kicked Ikoma down under.

Speaking of which, that part hit home. I didn't quite expect her to be so forceful to him and the humans to accept each other.

See? Not someone you'd want to mess with. Smooth showdown, if a little embarrassing for Ikoma. Also, it seems she's opening up to a fellow kabaneri: that her tie constrains her powers, but the curse will make her fall asleep after a while. Interesting; while this answers one question, how the virus works is a question I hope Kabaneri will answer.

As said before, being the sassy girl, Mumei ignores everything else and exits the boiler room, ignoring a previous promise, to check on a hunch--perhaps a kabane on board. Again, this scared the hell out of people, and once again Kurusu appeared out of nowhere--like he shall always do, perhaps--and, once again, Ayame appears to stop them.

This is getting quite repetitive, really. If not for the fact that the people are now really agitated.

Also, this show show hard it really is satisfying the people and your own morals, where people were yelling to throw the kabaneri overboard, while others were urging to stop the train to hold a funeral.

The train did stop, to fix the water tank. And a funeral was also helped.

And here, where the two kabaneri were still confined. Finally, Mumei asked about the little gem in Ikoma's hand, where we launch into a flashback.

And a touching one, at that, where his old home was overran by kabane, and he cannot help his sister of fear. This made him swear never to leave anyone else; surely a major driving force in his life (though, once again, a cliched and Attack on Titan-like premise). The most touching part, however, is that Mumei said that this tale is a dime a dozen. Quite tragic, that.

While they were discussing, disgruntled people outside tried to assault the car.

Here, Mumei leaped to meet the opposition, while Ayame called for a cease--quite an influential woman for the time. At that, she leaped again, this time to cuddle some kids by the fire.

Here, though, I find the tendency of Kabaneri to spill out secrets a little bit annoying, where the pregnant woman seen earlier was actually a transforming kabane. Looking back, so was the scene where we were given a sight of the sleeping Mumei, in the last episode. 

Anyway, Ayame did another unexpected thing: stabbing Ikoma and asking his allegiance. And here, we see the wholehearted pledge, that he already vowed to never chicken out. Perfectly dramatic, this one.

The show surprised us once more --spoiler alert-- as Mumei asked to be fed blood.

Let's add vampires to the list of blended themes: samurai, steampunk, and zombies.

Anyway, the people backed down, and rightfully so. Just how would they coexist, now?

An even harsher blow: when the pregnant woman really turned into a kabane and Mumei immediately struck. Those eyes of regret upon knowing that she was pregnant would be something that'll impact her, no doubt.

And then, Ikoma lost consciousness.

And after that, he pinned Ayame, who was tending to him, perhaps of the same bloodlust kabaneri have.

What a cliffhanger. Everything shall change after all of this, then, where secrets have been revealed and relationships strained even further. We shall see next week. 

Bungou Stray Dogs - Episode 4: Desperation

After the bloodbath we had last week, Bungou returned to quite the usual goofy show, though indeed, Atsushi would become changed by those past events--and those to come in this fourth episode: The Tragedy of the Fatalist. Beware of spoilers, intentional or otherwise.

Truly, the backstory and connection with Atsushi's previous experiences are some of the nicer points of Bungou. Here we have Atsushi thinking back that he would only injure those around him, making a worst-case scenario.

And for once, Kunikida would play some big role in his thought process, by telling him to focus and think about what he could do himself.

...and losing his cool.

Coupled with the really awkward scene involving Junichirou and, surprisingly, Yosano, who hasn't really appeared since episode one. And who knew she'd be that lewd.

A new man with a cool new power, to break solid matter, who works for the Port Mafia. He infiltrated a factory, and after squeezing a man to death, smokes while his goons opened fire. He might be interesting enough, with his eccentric acts, but we'll see.

 

And, after that, who knew that Atsushi would phone the mafia and declared that he quit. And really do that.

The emotions stirring in him is just really obvious, making this show quite touching, really. Here, his thoughts return once again when he was kicked out of the orphnage; a unifying theme in this show, and it was just sad that the only thing he could focus on doing was to quit.

These three guys of the Black Lizards, the Port Mafia hitmen, could be an interesting bunch, the usual quarrelsome mob leaders. Else, why did they give us their names?

And thus, as Atsushi quit thinking he won't harm the Detectives, the Lizards prepare to knock down the headquarters. Ironic, really.

These two scenes, Akutagawa and Dazai. I have no idea what they mean. Perhaps that is Akutagawa's servant or something. Perhaps Dazai is just being Dazai and appears just for the sake of appearing.

Oh, here we'll have a nice fight...

...or not. Shame, I would've loved to see more action here, seeing what they are capable of doing such as in last episode. Atsushi, in his disbelief of hearing gunfire in the headquarters, rushed there, where he was met with equal disbelief in the calm scene, with all of the Lizards defeated and being thrown off the window.

Apparently, the worst case scenario is having a raid and having the budgets being thrown way off.

Seriously, in the end, they were just messing around with us in this episode, just for the sake of Atsushi.

Even Dazai didn't appear in the battlefield. I mean, come on.

However, this episode did end quite satisfyingly. Well, other than Atsushi's tears being stopped by the yelling Kunikida. Perhaps those tears are of being accepted. This episode, I would say, will make him stay with the Armed Detectives for the rest of Bungou.

Sketching: Edward Kenway, Assassin's Creed IV

I've finally, after some good long while playing, finished the main story arc of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. So, naturally, I made some form of art of our dear Edward Kenway.

"We Could've Been Heroes." -Edward Teach
Also on display in my DeviantArt.

This whole piece took around six or seven hours or thereabouts. Not on the level of Kylo Ren, to be sure, as this was made on half an A4 paper. And even then the image only occupied the center right.

This image was used for reference, and I added some more for the right hand, as I decided to mix up the pose a little bit.

This was just a sketch made late at night. I later changed it up and ended by simply erasing everything completely.

The first sketched done was in HB pencil. crude, and only halfway done when I started shading in.

Now this was the face of an overgrown monkey. I would have changed that many times by the time I was done.  That wasn't as bad as how it was at first, though.

I used my 6B very much here, and HB for the lighter parts. After that, brush everything with a cotton swab. Also, in the meantime, I worked my way downward with the sketch.

Changed up the face a bit, and proceeded with the collar. The skull pin proved to be something annoying.

Then, I went in and shaded in the hand and gun. Actually, I didn't need to edit this out much at all.

I detailed the vest and flintlock in the belt. That part I needed to deviate from the reference, for the in-game shot of Kenway didn't have straps for the guns. I think it was also at this time I started to use the 2B more, and also tampered with the face (yet) again.

The rest was quite straightforward. The lower part of the vest were only hampered by my schoolwork.

Then, the belts and clothes were shaded in. That also wasn't too bad. Also, having learned about the problem with the guns' straps, the lower flintlock was a breeze.

All that was left was the arm. I decided to leave it at that and add some smoke effects.

Then, on to Photoshop to balance out the contrast, and I moved the eye a little bit to make it more striking. And that was all.

The result? The face was strange but at the very least recognizable (according to my friends). The smoke needs work. But that was all. And that is all from me for now.

___

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a game by Ubisoft.

The Making of Kirito's Coat

I never expected that for our design class, we would be doing cosplays. Sure, some groups picked Kylo Ren and Rey and Cinderella, but I never expected more picked guys like Kaneki and Sora and Erza Scarlet. And finally, I never expected nobody picked Kirito. So me and Mr. Arno, my partner for this one, did.

Our school uniform consist of a labcoat that we must wear in the lab. we found that these coats would be an easy start for Kirito's Blackwrym Coat.

Some teacher's policies: if you forget your labcoat, buy another. Amusing that some could have 5 or 6 labcoats at a time. So we bought from a friend at two for the price of one.

Dismantling continues. It seemed that I needed to remove every joint of one piece and sew it to the other labcoat to make the sleeves and underside longer, matching Kirito's specs.

At this point, Arno already said that I shall wear it during the show at the end. Dang. But that'll be cool. Probably.

The Blackwrym's sleeve extensions were tough. I finally found a piece big enough that I could cut parts from. Then, the rest I could cut out parts for the belt.

No one said that we need to sew ourselves. It would take years.

So, after 45 minutes hanging around telling the tailor what to do, Kirito's coat is constructed. I know, the stitches will show, but we're running on low budget here. All of that and what will come cost below Rp 150000 (around US$ 11.50). Good enough.

And thus, the Blackwrym was dyed as it should be. Actually the proper procedure was to heat it up as it was submerged, but my house didn't have a used pot.

So I dyed it twice.

Result? Very grey. It was not the color I was hoping for, where the real Blackwrym was pitch black, but good enough for an amateur.

It turned out that the white rims could't be sewn on due to the size and funky places, so I was forced to glue on each part to make the deadline.

Meanwhile, my partner made the 'metal' bits, including Elucidator, from cardboard. I left him to that.

Then, he spray painted them. Shame the Elucidator was a bit wobbly when I held it, but meh. Details.

 Flashy.

Koutetsujou no Kabaneri - Episode 2: The Man You Abandoned...

It has been two whole weeks since the first episode, and after what we've seen, it was hard to wait.

But now it is here. The second episode of Koutetsujou no Kabaneri, or Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: Never-Ending Darkness. After Ikoma was bitten, we are now treated with action, all the way. Prepare for spoilers, intentional or otherwise; and also some blood.

Finally their opening was released. Actually, I've seen it last week, but it is time to break it down.

Many, many new scenes to see. the most important ones include the spoiler right at the front, where Mumei is shown as... different from other humans. There were many scenes of Mumei and Ikoma that followed suit, with him laying in the rails and Mumei touching his gem... perhaps that could symbolize something big.

And oh, the action. Not as good as the nonstop leaping in Attack on Titan's Guren no Yumiya, but gives us what our main characters are able to do.

A little unexpected, I opened with some laughter. The way Ikoma kept a straight face when telling his friend he was bitten was priceless. However, considering the level of shading done for the past episode, this was... unexpectedly flat. Well, much better than devolving into comic-style, anyway.

And here, we learn that Takumi won't fear his friend that was bitten by a Kabaneri... for now.

And then, when the people were trapped above the wall. One thing to ask was, how come did the people follow Ayame, a woman, quite willingly? That was strange for the time, but I've little expertise in old Japanese politics. Oh well.

Straight to the action. Mumei appearing out of nowhere and leaping and killing kabane like nothing at all was a sight to behold. Action: perfect. No complaints there. Or perhaps, there were some scenes that looked a little 'skippy,' without proper transition, and some shots which deserve a better angle. 

However, I shall complain Mumei's guns: they do look like the 3D maneuver gear, don't they?

Some whimsical personality Mumei has. One moment, she was beating up a guy's underside and the next she was asking about Ikoma's new look. Interesting.

Once more, Kurusu, ever the by-the-book Samurai, held Ikoma at gunpoint. Once more, the human nature to be suspicious.

Let me pause here, though this wasn't a big point in the story: during the time Ayame pulled out her key, the scene was very smooth. Perhaps it was that she only made slight movements; however, that went pretty well with the CGI key and lever. Though smooth and matched with the , it seemed a little out of place compared to the others.

Then, Mumei quite rudely fell asleep in the locomotive.

When I thought that when she went ten seconds past her deadline was peculiar, this just confirms the spoiler in the opening.

Here we are, talking about humanity and trust issues. Ikoma's heart showed the moltenlike glow after killing a kabane, and Kurusu immediately disposed of him.

Damn tense moment as he flopped, seemingly lifelessly, on the ground. And quite sad when Takumi grieved over the friend he had, though he stepped one step when he learned that the virus hasn't been stopped.

Anyway, once more, this seems like Attack on Titan all over again, doesn't it? The main character--spoiler--dies and gets "resurrected."

Now, Kurusu went up front and held Ayame back. When she took a peek, there it was in front of them, the shogun, zombified and dead.

True enough, Kurusu is a cold man, but here, I could have sworn his face wavered before yelling stubbornly that they were only kabane. There could be some nice characters here, after all.

Sadly, the scene where the Koutetsujou ran over the Ayame's dad, a better angle could have been made. That death was just too quick and sad.

The train was stuck on the bridge, where the system to remotely lower it was jammed by a kabane hand. Miraculously--and in Attack on Titan style-- Ikoma forged ahead, still alive and badly wounded, piercing kabane hearts with steam. All I could say here, for lack of words: what badassery. No complains.

And one more thing, this gets philosophical: when Ikoma, the abandoned one, ideologically tried to help the humans. Nice move.

It got quite dramatic and emotional when he sat there, crying, rejecting the line tossed by Takumi. Thankfully, Mumei came in to the rescue.

Oh the backgrounds. Dang.

Then the big reveal: they showed us what Kabaneri really are: a cross between the humans and kabane; interesting twist on zombies, and the meaning behind the title and opening song (the verse: "Koutetsu no Kabane yo, saa, tachiagare!", Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, stand up!). This could potentially be a source of mistrust by the humans, though, such far I've seen. 

Let us just wait for the next episode to let this epic action continue. Could there be more to be said?

Oh. 

The ending song.

I am indeed guilty of replaying that over and over since it was released last week. No complaints. ninelie: Beautiful duet, the perfect match between Aimer and EGOIST, both soft voices were... ah, I am lost for words. The song is immediately burned in the brain.

Oh and the song was written by Sawano Hiroyuki. I'm done commenting here. 

Plus, beautiful art. Really, Enough said. So far only the second ending song that could peak my favorites.