Those Unforgettable Days - Getting to Know the Nadesico!

Introduction

When talking about mecha anime, it’s hard to overstate its popularity and impact in Japan. The late 70s and early 80s gave birth to several influential mecha series that fundamentally shaped not only the genre but anime as a whole during that time. Even in the West, series like Code Geass, Voltron, and Neon Genesis Evangelion have become cultural mainstays in many anime communities, remaining popular among fan artists, general anime discussions, and cosplayers to this day. While it might be fun to dive into a deep discussion about my opinions on some of these more well-known series, I instead want to shine a light on a slightly more underrated series from the late 90s. Today, I’m going to talk about a particular series I watched a few years ago that I’ve come to deeply appreciate: a quirky, authentic, and unique hidden gem known as Martian Successor Nadesico!

❤MS Girls, Ojōsamas, and the Prowess of the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² - Galaxy Fräulein Yuna❤

 Introduction

Today, I wanted to do something a little bit different and talk about a visual novel. Well, okay, I guess visual novels aren’t exactly anything different—my last post was literally about Danganronpa. Before that, I talked about Sakura Taisen. Coincidentally, the company that developed Sakura Taisen, Red Company, is the same company that developed the game I have in mind to discuss today.

Rewinding a few months ago, as a fan of obscure retro Japanese games, I frequently browsed blog sites, forum posts, niche YouTube channels, and online threads that discussed these lesser-known titles. Since many people my age don’t seem to care much about retro games, browsing these pages for hours was one of my only ways to really learn anything new. One site I enjoyed visiting was HardcoreGaming101, which hosts thousands of articles and regular podcasts about retro games, even to this day. While they also cover some modern games, I mostly tend to avoid that stuff.

That site is where I first found lore information about XZR 1, Popful Mail, and Langrisser. Eventually, I purchased one of their books, Japanese Video Game Obscurities, written by Kurt Kalata, the founder of HG101. The book discusses several obscure, mostly Japan-exclusive retro games, ranging from more well-known games like Sakura Taisen, Der Langrisser, Tokimeki Memorial, and Bulk Slash, to more niche titles like Hanjuku Hero, Maka Maka, Sa-Zi-Ri, Emerald Dragon, and Bokosuka Wars. Of the titles discussed in the book, the one I wish to talk about today is a humble PC Engine game called Galaxy Fräulein Yuna!

Toki wo Koete: A Triple Feature Review of Super Robot Wars 1, 2, and 3 (GB/FC/SFC)

 Introduction

From the outside looking in, the Super Robot Wars series may seem rather intimidating, and well, it is. The series has been ongoing since April 20th, 1991, with 48 entries and 10 spinoffs, and the games have their own respective timelines and lore; some are isolated entries, while others have two or three sequels. I swear, if you want to give yourself an aneurysm, I’d recommend searching up and trying to follow some of the full series timelines that fans post online. And that’s not even mentioning the references and appearances of the individual mecha anime series that appear in these games, some of which are very niche.

That said, as a series that I consider one of my favorites, I wanted to take it upon myself to review the lesser-discussed games that started said series. I see very little discussion of these first three games online, let alone reviews of them, so I prepared a special triple-feature blog post to shed some light on the unique mechanics of these games, talk about their significance to the overall series, and talk about how they laid the groundwork for the series we know and love today! 

Floral Fantasy: The Adventures of Sakura Taisen (Part 1)

 🌸Introduction🌸

Sakura Wars, also known as Sakura Taisen, is a game series that’s lingered on my radar for a few years. The game's name surfaced occasionally in casual conversations, but my knowledge of it was fairly limited. It wasn't until much later when I heard that Sakura Taisen's characters and mechs were featured as DLC in Super Robot Wars 30, which brought my attention back to the series.

Furthermore, last summer, since I had just graduated from college and had a lot more time on my hands, I had been catching up on a lot of anime. In particular, I was watching a lot of older mecha series, and over time I decided it was time for me to try out this Sakura Taisen game. So, I downloaded a Sega Saturn emulator, the two disk files necessary to actually play the game, and the fan translation. Once, I got everything set up, I went right into the game. And as such, I wish to share my playthrough with all of you in a two-part blog post.