News roundup: It's time to take a break from playing and update this blog!

I've been a little busy recently so this is a bumper update summarising lots of different news. Since my final 'launch' items arrived I'm going to tweet KobaP today saying that I bought the game; I hope some other foreign fans have been doing the same thing!

By the way, I happen to have an extra set of preorder weapon codes (Yoshiteru/Masamune/Yukimura/Masamune/Ieyasu) which came with my PS3 edition. If you have bought the game, didn't manage to preorder the weapons and play on a Japanese PSN account, please let me know and the codes are yours. There's only one set so it will have to be first come, first served.

Edit: The codes have now been claimed, thank you!

I tested and all of the weapons are recognised across platforms; in fact, since I preordered the game on PSN and then redeemed my PS4 weapon codes on PS4 as well, I actually have two copies of Yoshiteru's element-changing weapon stored on my PS3 save now plus the spare code. So for the purpose of this giveaway it doesn't matter whether you're going to use the PS3 or PS4 version so long as you're using a Japanese account.

Celebrate the Sengoku Basara series' tenth anniversary with more commemorative goods

Two new items have been announced for fans who don't have enough Sengoku Basara merchandise in their life.

The first is a commemorative 2016 calendar which features a different warrior on each page and looks back at the selected characters over the course of the last ten years. It's priced at ¥2,000 before tax and will be widely available from the start of October 2015.

The second new item is a luxury 10th anniversary fountain pen from Sailor. It's based on the Pro Colour 500 model and features a lot of small details which pay tribute to the series. Three different designs are available to suit fans of Masamune, Yukimura or Mitsunari.

The pens don't come cheap at ¥14,800 before tax apiece. They'll go on sale in late November 2015 and the Entersis Factory website is already accepting preorders.

There's not much to report in this week's gaming magazines

I didn't post a magazine summary yesterday because Dengeki PlayStation isn't coming out until next week and Weekly Famitsu had barely any coverage at all. Interestingly Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi picked up a recommendation in the editorial team's internal ranking for the week where it came in sixth place and was singled out as a particularly noteworthy title. There was no update on the game's website either; hopefully some of the staff are taking a well-earned rest!

KobaP, however, doesn't seem to be resting at all. The Famitsu website has posted a report where he guides readers through the Sengoku Basara collaboration event which is currently running at Nikko Edomura (Edo Wonderland). It looks really fun.

Preview for the next issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine

Now that the tenth issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine has been listed on the e-Capcom store, we have a few more details about what it will include along with a glimpse at the rubber strap and cover - though I anticipate that the cover artwork will be changed at the last minute as usual.

The lead 18-page article is all about the 32 new stories in Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi, including an interview with KobaP and YamamotoD all about how they were created. The Katakura Kojuurou coverage will span 17 pages and incorporate an interview with seiyuu Morikawa Toshiyuki as well as the usual detailed character information.

The new 17-page scenario novel about Sen No Rikyuu now has an official title: Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi: Riten Daisanoe ('The Grand Tea Ceremony Cast Out From Heaven'). It tells the story of the events which caused Rikyuu to leave the Toyotomi army from his point of view, and there will be appearances by Mitsunari, Ieyasu, Sakon and Keiji. The illustrations will be provided by Ashika Nozomu once again.

It's also been confirmed separately that the upcoming chapter of the Sengoku Basara 4: Bontenmaru-hen manga is to be the finale, as I was expecting from the general direction of the story. I wonder whether they'll really go ahead and replace it with Benmaru-hen as some of the staff have been hinting?

New merchandise is revealed - exclusively for visitors to specific Marui stores this month

The Sengoku Basara series is returning to the Marui building in Kitasenju, Tokyo with a pop-up shop which opened for business this week. It closes on 18th August 2015. There will also be a similar pop-up store in Shizuoka's Marui building between 12th August and 23rd August 2015. Fans will have to be quick; as well as activities and merchandise from other Capcom titles, some special limited edition goodies will be available.

Canvas artwork of Date Masamune (¥6,000):

Four different Sengoku Basara felt mascot keychains (¥700 each):

Four different Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi clear files themed around the Touhoku, Kantou/Chuubu, Kinki/Chuugoku and Shikoku/Kyuushuu regions (¥400 each):

Four different Sengoku Basara playing card hand towels (¥1,200 each):

A set of four Sengoku Basara postcards (¥700):

There's also a special 'Date & Sanada' canvas illustration which is among various prizes on offer at the stores. Visitors who spend more than ¥3,000 using an Epos card will be entered into a prize draw, so it's likely to become a highly coveted item.

Reminder: This month's V Jump magazine can now be preordered

If, like me, you're one of those people waiting to complete their collection of element-changing weapon DLC for Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi, it looks as though the upcoming October issue of V-Jump can now be preordered on sites such as Amazon Japan ahead of its release in a few weeks. This is the volume which is slated to come with a DLC code for Shibata Katsuie's dark-elemental weapon.

A chat show event is planned for fans in the Kitakyuushuu area

The next real-life event related to Sengoku Basara has been announced. Sengoku Basara ga YATTEKURU ('Sengoku Basara is COMING') is a live talk show which will be held on Saturday 5th September 2015 at the Aru Aru YY Theatre in the Aru Aru City complex in Kokura, Fukuoka Prefecture. The guests scheduled to attend are Hoshi Souichirou (Sanada Yukimura), Miki Shinichirou (Gotou Matabee) and series producer Kobayashi 'KobaP' Hiroyuki. Advance tickets go on sale on 8th August 2015 for ¥3,500 (plus an extra mandatory ¥500 drink) each.

The latest Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi videos

The game may be out now but we still have another two weeks of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi video clips planned for the official website. Monday's was a Sasuke cutscene clip titled (Approximately) 10-second Theatre: Monkey Show.


And yesterday's new video was (Approximately) 10-second Theatre: Get Costumes With Tenka Medals!

Event report: Japan Expo 2015 (Paris)

Iconic yuru-kyara Kumamon in the flesh

It's been a whole year since I first made the trip to Paris, France for Japan Expo, just to watch Sengoku Basara Judge End a few days early. The event ran again this year - it's now celebrating its 16th anniversary - and given the sorry state of the UK convention scene I decided to drag two of my dearest friends along and give it another try. That's how I ended up making a fast-paced overnight trip to France on Thursday and Friday last week.

Paris - like much of the rest of Europe - is extremely hot this week, and gathering together with thousands of excited fans is never an effective way to stay cool. The organisers had done what they could to warn people to dress appropriately and bring plenty of drinks yet we still witnessed several people passing out in the entry queues and the lines at the stands selling slush drinks and other refreshments were impressive. I dread to think how hot it must be this weekend when even more people will have been descending on the convention halls to see the biggest guests. The dilapidated RER trains back to central Paris were stifling, too. It was almost unbearable.

Today's acquisitions (29th April 2015)

I read Weekly Famitsu magazine as usual this afternoon but there wasn't a single piece of news worth mentioning this time. There's no Weekly Famitsu next week due to the holiday season in Japan, so I guess we have to rely on the weekend events for Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi news until the regular updates resume in a fortnight.

This means I have more time free than expected so I'll post a picture of the goodies I've been lucky enough to acquire recently.

I backed the Time Of Eve (Eve No Jikan) Kickstarter a long time ago. So long ago, in fact, that I had forgotten I paid enough to earn two A4 prints and a fully-translated book about the series. The actual Blu-ray disc shipped a while ago so it was a complete surprise when the extras turned up this week. The colour prints were safely protected by an attractive A4 clear file and delivered in the largest shipping box imaginable. My neighbour laughed as he handed over the package, asking whether I'd ordered a box full of air.

The art book is lovely too. It's the kind of thing I'm used to seeing in Japanese but having all of the production notes and interviews translated for English-speaking fans is extremely rare. What a great Kickstarter project that was.

The other big item is the first Blu-ray disc of the brand new Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin series courtesy of UK distributor Anime Limited. The store-exclusive packaging can only be described as ostentatious; the stunningly-illustrated outer box is as large as a vinyl record even though all it contains is a Blu-ray case (in a slipcase, naturally), art cards and a storyboard book. I haven't seen the anime yet so I'm looking forward to checking it out.

It's never going to fit on my shelves.

The final delivery in the picture is NIS America's standard edition rerelease of Ground Control To Psychoelectric Girl (Denpa Onna To Seishun Otoko). It actually arrived a little while ago and I completely forgot to mention it. I already own the limited edition version of the show so this was a vanity purchase for one reason alone.

My review was quoted on the back! This blog was originally set up for anime-related ranting and reviews. I didn't get too far before posting about Sengoku Basara started consuming all of my free time, but it's a great feeling to have my blog's name on the packaging of a show I really loved.

Buying from Japan: Proxy services and forwarding companies

I've been asked to make a list of the proxy and forwarding services I use before, and with the preorders for Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi about to open I thought it would be helpful to put together a master list I can link to from my guide. A lot of people have been anxious about how to get the exact version of the game they want.

It's a sad reality that most specialist Japanese gaming shops will only ship to Japanese addresses. At the same time, there are often exclusive bonus items you can only guarantee you'll be able to buy if you preorder directly from a specific store.

There are two different ways that people outside Japan can get around this problem and purchase rare items without having to watch auction sites for months.

Note: These methods aren't free to use and you'll have to pay shipping twice (the items are shipped from the shop to your buying service, then shipped internationally to your home country). Read each site's terms and conditions carefully and ask them for a cost estimate if you're not sure how much you will have to pay.

I'll list the services I have personally used before in each section. Some sites only ship to certain countries due to bad experiences with customers in the past, so please read each company's website carefully for their terms and conditions before making any purchases!

Method 1: Proxy buying services

Proxy services are ideal for people who don't speak Japanese, or for those who want to order from a website which doesn't accept non-Japanese credit cards. You will always pay slightly more with a proxy service, but you have the benefit of knowing they can help with any problems and contact the seller in Japanese for you. Here's a list of the ones I know.

Shopping Mall Japan
This site specialises in auctions but you can also use it to order from online shops. They'll even send an employee out to buy things from a physical shop in Akihabara if you want something rare. Their website is strange and the rules are quite strict, however, I've always found their service flawless and their staff are very polite. They offer a wide range of international shipping options and can accommodate all kinds of weird special requests. One interesting feature they offer is shopping in Taiwan and the USA too, so people who live outside those regions might find them useful for purchasing store-exclusives across several countries.

Otaku Republic
An online shop which also offers a request service. Their staff are very friendly and they'll try extra-hard to take care of any special orders. They including shipping in their website prices which makes everything seem quite expensive, but the advantage is that the price you see is the price you pay; you'll never be surprised by the shipping costs later on.

CD Japan
Many people use CD Japan for their regular game/book/music purchases but they also offer a proxy buying service. It's not the cheapest option, but CD Japan is a well-known, reliable company and they'll be able to help purchase all kinds of things. You can also combine your purchase with regular items on their website and once they've added a special request item to their catalogue, other customers can buy it too.

Takara Japan
I've only used their LINE sticker purchase service but they also offer general proxy buying upon request. From my experience with their LINE service, they purchase Japan-only stickers for foreigners on their behalf and transfer them instantly as a gift. It's a simple way to buy the animated Sengoku Basara stickers if you use LINE and don't have another way around the region locking.

Big In Japan
I've never used their proxy service but I can confirm that their forwarding facility is reliable, so I can vouch that they're trustworthy.

Buyee
I have never used Buyee. They're related to the forwarding company Tenso, though, so if you trust Tenso's service it might be worth trying Buyee as well.

Celga
I don't completely recommend Celga. I stopped using them myself after they sent one of my orders to the wrong person! I received it in the end but I had to wait a very long time, and nobody ever apologised for the mistake. However, they're one of the most experienced proxy services around with a lot of knowledge about the industry, so please check their site and judge for yourself.

FDJP
Expensive but very experienced, FDJP specialise in difficult-to-obtain items like tickets, and they're able to check physical ticket stores which people outside Japan can't visit. It's best if you understand some Japanese if you want to use them, since they don't offer much assistance with researching items.

Rinkya
I have never used Rinkya. They're another of the older services with an established reputation, so check them out if you want to compare pricing. They might offer a good deal depending on where you live.

Method 2: Using a forwarding service

This option is for people who feel confident buying directly from Japanese websites. Forwarders don't offer any help with Japanese sellers; all they do is accept your parcels and ship them onwards to your home address. One of the major advantages of using forwarding is that you buy things in your own name and you'll earn loyalty points on many Japanese websites.

The way forwarding works is that you open a free account on the forwarding company's website and copy down the special Japanese address they give you. You then go ahead and buy your items on any shopping website you like, using your real name and the special forwarding address as the delivery address. Once the package is delivered, the forwarder notifies you and requests payment of their forwarding fees and shipping costs. Finally, they ship the item to you internationally.

Tenso
The kings of the forwarding business. Tenso's service is reliable and they've improved their fees a lot over the years, finally offering cheaper shipping for customers who don't want an express service. They process large numbers of orders and have built up relationships with several Japanese stores. They recently started offering a proxy service too (see above).

Big In Japan
Another company I have used several times and they've always performed very well. Their system is less advanced than Tenso's automated checkout but they have never made a single mistake. They also offer a separate proxy service.

From Japan
I've never used this company but I've heard positive reviews from others.

Japan To Door
I've never used this company either but again I've heard positive reviews from others.

White Rabbit
Another company I have never used. A commenter has noted that they use a points system for payments which might make them less appealing.

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For the specific example of ordering Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi - since it's the original reason I wrote this list - please make very sure you give your chosen proxy service the following special instructions to make sure you get the exact version you want:

• Whether you want the PS3 or PS4 version of the game.
• Whether you want the standard version, the 21-costume hobby box, the limited edition (standard version + towel) or the complete edition (21-costume hobby box + towel).
• Send them a link to the exact listing you want to buy (I'll list these here when they're available so copy, paste and check the link carefully).
• If you're buying one of the e-Capcom exclusive towel bundles, make sure you tell the proxy service which character you want on the towel. If you want extra towels, request those at the same time and link them to this page with the instructions.
• If you're ordering before the early reservation deadline on 24th May 2015, tell the company that you need them to order immediately and send you the 'Sumeragi ID' code they'll receive after placing the order. They need to send you the link as quickly as possible so you don't miss the registration period. Show them this link so they can read the full details about how the Sumeragi ID system works.

Today's acquisitions (6th April 2015)

I haven't taken a picture of any of my new deliveries in ages. It's time for a catch-up to distract me from the disappointment that the new Sumeragi video hasn't gone online yet (hehe).

First up is Diabolik Lovers Dark Fate for PlayStation Vita. I preordered the Animate pack which meant I received the special edition version of the game, the new exclusive anime episode on DVD, a large clear file, rubber straps of Carla and Shin, a bromide and four exclusive drama CDs (one's a double pack). That's a lot of extras for a single game purchase!

Moving on, I picked up the latest issues of Animedia Deluxe and Dengeki Maoh for their Sengoku Basara content. Animedia Deluxe wasn't a good buy as I already had all of the Judge End illustrations from previous magazines, but Dengeki Maoh had a column written by YamamotoD that I want to translate. Expect it to appear here in the next couple of weeks when the previous issue has also been delivered. The latest Gakuen Basara arrived too so I'm looking forward to reading it soon.

The books are accompanied by CDs with the opening themes for Akatsuki No Yona, Death Parade and Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu LOVE! as well as Showgeki Basara Talk! Chousokabe & Mouri No Maki Special-ban and the final Jooubachi No Mitsunaru Chouai CD, which included a bonus disc for buying all three episodes from Stellaworth. The Boueibu CD came with a character card (mine was Yufuin En) and Dengeki Maoh included a bonus rubber strap of Heiwajima Shizuo from the MiniDura manga.

The last set of goodies are the six prize figures from this year's Ichiban Kuji Sengoku Basara ~Sengoku Sousei~ lottery which I bought from resellers since you can't enter the draw from overseas.

A slightly closer view of the two 'real figure' Masamune prizes. I like them both. It's not shown in the pictures but the stands have his Giga Basara dragon on them - the dragon is black on a transparent grey background for the regular version, and gold on black for the white figure.

As much as I love the others, I think my favourite is actually the Katsuie figure. You can remove his helmet and they've used a sparkly metallic green paint for the armour (like the special 'Last One' prize versions of Masamune, Yukimura, Mitsunari and Sakon). So cute!

Today's acquisitions (19th December 2014)

It's been ages since I posted some pictures of things I've bought so perhaps it's a good way to kill some time before getting disappointed when I discover that there's no new game announced at Jump Festa in a few hours.

The first item is this magnificent specimen: Doki! A Microfiber Towel Loaded With Mikorin. I bought it from the Dogakobo online shop to cheer myself up after the Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun anime came to an end. It's completely impractical as a towel, but there's so much Mikorin all over it that I can't complain.

Of course, they've just announced a Hori-senpai version. I wish I was going to Comiket this winter...

Moving on, I also received the final Diabolik Lovers Dark Fate CD along with Stellaworth's bromide, pamphlet and short story booklet. The collectible magazine which was sent to people who purchased both Jooubachi No Oubou games and completed the surveys inside is titled Sequential and positioned at the back of the picture. Then there's the special edition of Butai Sengoku Basara 3: Togakuruwashi Kizuna, the last Sengoku Basara stage play I need to watch.

Unfortunately, there's been some kind of production problem with the credits on the stage play DVD and replacement discs have been shipped out to all buyers. My replacement won't arrive until January so I won't be able to watch the play for a few more weeks. I hope it's worth the wait!

Today's acquisitions (31st October 2014)

My updates might be sporadic for a little while so here are the things which arrived in the last week or so - it's been difficult to keep up with blogging during this busy period at work!

First up, it's Anime Limited's Gurren Lagann: Ultimate Edition Blu-ray box set. This is the first time I have bought a local BD release that was region locked, so I had to pick up a cheap BD drive at the same time to be able to play it. This is how it looks when it's all packed up in its outer sleeve (an o-card). It's nice that Anime Limited have started doing this so that they can conform to the legal requirement to show the BBFC age rating and marketing information without ruining the packaging inside, much like the obi slips commonly used for Japanese releases.

The next picture shows how it looks without the sleeve. There's a chipboard art box with a wraparound illustration (left), the Digipak with the actual Blu-ray discs (centre) and a hardback art book (right). Not bad!

There are three video glitches in the set from the masters Anime Limited were sent (thanks, Aniplex), but given how much cheaper this is than buying the Japanese set it suits me fine. I paid £80, which isn't a bad price for the entire series, the movies and the Parallel Works extras.

Next is the New Directors From Japan Blu-ray/DVD set. It was a Kickstarter project which managed to meet its goal and deliver the finished discs without any drama at all, making it the most no-nonsense Kickstarter effort I have ever contributed to. I hope that Third Window Films will consider launching more niche projects this way; it's a fantastic opportunity to get region-free Blu-ray produced for films which would otherwise never see release in the west. I'm looking forward to watching them shortly.

My backlog of Japanese books suddenly increased when this old batch of preorders from Honto arrived. The first picture includes all five existing volumes of Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun - a must-buy after the fantastic anime adaptation. They're accompanied by the Diabolik Lovers: More, Blood Sakamaki-hen Prequel manga and both halves of the ridiculous-looking Mahou Shoujo Ore. I don't know how I'm ever going to find the time to read all of these books...

The third BASARA CLUB Press newsletter arrived too, with a Halloween-themed cover drawn by Mikami.

Last but not least, Gekijouban Sengoku Basara -The Last Party- Official Illustration Collection II and the first volume of the Mame Sengoku Basara 4 manga by Sumeragi.

I'll talk about Mame Sengoku Basara 4 later in a proper review (spoilers: it's really cute!) but since I will probably never have time to post about each individual art book at my current pace, here's an overview of what to expect if you purchase Gekijouban Sengoku Basara -The Last Party- Official Illustration Collection II.

As the title implies, this book collects all of the leftover materials and illustrations which Production I.G. produced since the previous Sengoku Basara -The Last Party- art collection. There are some pictures which relate to the television series too, and others which have nothing to do with either the movie or television versions, such as the illustrations Ookubo Tooru produced to promote various regional festivals in the Touhoku area.

The first 47 pages are full colour illustrations from posters, merchandise, guide books and other sources, and if you love the anime art style these alone make the book worthwhile. A few design sketches from Mini Sengoku Basara break up the serious poses nicely.

The next feature is a long 'commentary' on Sengoku Basara -The Last Party- from director Nomura Kazuya, screenplay creator Mutou Yasuyuki and character designer Ookubu Tooru, which is a group interview where they go through all of the movie's key scenes and add their comments. This feature includes storyboards and script excerpts for a few scenes which never made it into the finished film. These were the climax of the fight between Kenshin and Shingen at Kawanakajima, the Maeda family sharing a meal with Keiji, Ieyasu and Motochika, and some expanded character development for Yukimura after he's forced to deal with his new responsibilities. All three would have been nice additions in the finished movie, especially the exposition at Kawanakajima. It's a shame that the storyboards were never animated in the end.

The final pages of the art book are dedicated to a more general interview with the three staff members.

Given how text-heavy it is, this book is probably for serious The Last Party fans or Japanese-speakers only, but if you want a decent collection of the rarer illustrations used for the anime box sets and you're crazy about Ookubo's art it's a good buy.

Today's acquisitions (18th October 2014)

I haven't ordered anything in a long time, but that doesn't mean that old preorders have stopped arriving. A few boxes of goodies turned up today, headed up by the newest figure of Date Masamune from Sengoku Basara.

It's the fourth figure in Kaiyodo's 'Micro Yamaguchi' Revolmini line.

It's really small compared to the old Revoltech version! They look similar at first glance, but the new one is much more articulated and sturdy.

On the whole I'm quite pleased with the new Masamune. I hope the rest of the series' leads follow later so he has someone to fight with who doesn't tower over him by several centimetres.

The same shipment included two manga volumes, Diabolik Lovers More Blood Mukami Hen: Sequel and the official adaptation of D3 Publisher's Gyakuten Yoshiwara. Sandwiched between them is the Diabolik Lovers: Sadistic Night 2014 event pamphlet and bonus CD.

The next picture is almost entirely CDs. Diabolik Lovers do-S Kyuuketsu CD: VERSUS II Vol. 6 is the last in its series so it included Animate's special tokuten CD alongside the usual bromide. The second Diabolik Lovers Dark Fate CD came with Stellaworth's bromide and short story pamphlet, then Ishikawa Chiaki's Zenya EP and the limited edition hardback art book version of Exit Tunes' Vocalospace compilation round off the things I paid for. Vocalospace came with a cute Hatsune Miku rubber strap, Animate gave me a Binary Star trading card and Yesasia threw in a small keychain mascot of Akashi from Kuroko No Basuke.

Today's acquisitions (28th September 2014)

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted pictures of new goodies that weren't magazines. Some nice things arrived this weekend so it seemed like a good opportunity to take a few pictures.

To start off, here's the first Japanese Blu-ray set for Sengoku Basara Judge End.

I purchased through Amazon Japan so the set included an exclusive oversized Yukimura badge. I'm never sure what to do with things like this; at least it looks cool.

The wraparound paper obi keeps everything together until you open it up. First of all, I looked inside the Blu-ray slipcase. It contains a full-colour booklet with character designs and basic information about the series.

The slipcase also contains the colourful Digipak which holds the Blu-ray disc. It's certainly eye-catching!

The other side of the Digipak is dedicated to Masamune. Since there will be four volumes in total, I guess each will be themed around one of the four leads.

Pressed up against the Blu-ray slipcase is a thin cardboard box which contains the first press bonus items: a Masamune/Kojuurou keychain and two bonus audio CDs for the radio show. I'll listen to the exclusive episode on the way to work this week.

As for the Blu-ray disc itself, it's wonderful to be able to watch these episodes properly instead of in the poor quality that my online stream provided. The Blu-ray version looks so much better. I hope FUNimation use the same video materials when they create the US edition instead of messing with things.

The on-disc extras are limited to textless opening/ending sequences and an audio commentary for the first episode.

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My shipment also included a few CDs, starting with the Sengoku Basara Judge End Original Soundtrack. I've become rather fond of Tokuda Masahiro's score. It's different to Sawano's sweeping masterpiece used in the old anime, and it's less action-packed than the game soundtracks. In spite of this, it's very pleasant to listen to.

Kimi Janakya Dame Mitai by Ooishi Masayoshi was the chipper opening to Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, and Namae No Nai Kaibutsu by EGOIST served as the first ending to PSYCHO-PASS. The latter isn't exactly new, but I watched the show for the first time recently and fell in love with the song.

Kalafina's heavenly blue and Sawano Hiroyuki's A/Z | aLIEz CDs covered the opening and closing songs from last season's Aldnoah Zero anime. I'd like to pick up the full soundtrack as well when I get the chance since the insert song BRE@TH//LESS is gorgeous.

The heavenly blue single included a pamphlet with storyboards for the opening, which was an interesting bonus. A/Z | aLIEz featured a bonus DVD with the textless end credit sequences from the anime.

The last items on the list are a pair of drama CDs. Diabolik Lovers do-S Kyuuketsu CD: VERSUS II Vol. 5 came with Animate's special bromide as a bonus while the first Dark Fate CD's extras were a bromide and short story pamphlet from Stellaworth.

I've been trying to save money recently but I ordered all of this quite some time ago. It was difficult waiting for the new CDs after hearing the themes playing each week as part of their anime broadcasts.

News roundup: September's Sengoku Basara Judge End magazine coverage

I picked up a few anime magazines this month, so it's time for the last (?) regular monthly review of Sengoku Basara Judge End coverage. There will be some extremely mild spoilers until the next headline lower down in this post.

It was Animage which contained the best Sengoku Basara Judge End information for September. Firstly, it confirmed the two last episode titles for Sengoku Basara Judge End. They're so vague that I don't think it's necessary to hide them under a spoiler warning; episode 11 will be called Shinpan ('Judgement') while the final episode will be Shirube ('Guide').

The magazine also contained a pull-out poster with all four main characters (sample picture above), and a short interview with anime director Sano Takashi covering the story up until episode nine.

• Sano explained that both Masamune and Yukimura lost something extremely precious earlier in the series; for Masamune it was his pride, and for Yukimura it was Oyakata-sama. In realising what they had lost for the first time, they took a step forwards.
• They've now each experienced some growth, not just in body and mind but also by reaffirming their individual beliefs and purpose.
• In Sano's opinion, Yukimura has become someone that Mitsunari can believe in during in the lead-up to Sekigahara, while Masamune is someone that Ieyasu could always have admired.
• Even though it had all been planned out in advance, Sano made a lot of refinements during the storyboarding for the climactic scene in episode eight where both leaders gave their speeches. The staff paid a lot of attention to the way they divided up the cuts to ensure that the scene flowed well.
• Sano's impression of Tenkai is that he's devoted to his own selfish desires and willing to do appalling things in order to achieve his goals. At the same time, he provides Kobayakawa Hideaki with emotional support and appears to be a kind person when he's around him.
• The line of dialogue which has left the strongest impression on Sano so far was Masamune's "It's the beginning of the PARTY to seize the country!" from the start of the very first episode. When he heard it during the recording session it made him think that the anime was really getting started.
• On the climax of the series, although it looks like a free-for-all fight he thinks people will want to see the way that the battle concludes with their own eyes.
• As for match-ups to look out for during the Battle of Sekigahara, Sano recommends the fight between the pair who started the war: Ieyasu versus Mitsunari.
• Since the cast and sound director had all been working on Sengoku Basara for a while now, it's no exaggeration to say that the recording sessions went very smoothly right from the first episode. Sano didn't always understand the spontaneous ad-libs that the actors made when they were testing the sound, but since they were able to bring most of the cast members together the recording sessions had a wonderful team-like atmosphere.
• If Sano had to pick a side to join for the battle, he'd want to be in the Eastern Army - and he'd want Ootomo Sourin to try to pursuade him to join the Xavists!

Lastly, the subject of Judge End was briefly revisited in an interview with singer Ishikawa Chiaki in the music pages.

Interviewer: The second song on your new CD is Hokkyokusei ~Polaris~, the ending theme for the Sengoku Basara Judge End anime series. The 'North Star' in the title also features in the lyrics, right?

Ishikawa: There are samurai who are willing to throw their lives away and fight for the sake of the lord they serve. I thought that this relationship resembled that of the North Star and the stars which revolve around it in the night sky. Even when you're on a battlefield in the middle of the mountains and you've lost sight of where you are, by looking at the North Star you'll find your direction, won't you? With that in mind, I wondered whether they would look up at the North Star on the night of a battle, rather than looking up at the moon.

Interviewer: The third song on the CD is called Tír na nÓg. Its sound and lyrics also evoke the image of a battlefield.

Ishikawa: Since I didn't incorporate Japanese 'flavour' into the sound of Hokkyokusei ~Polaris~, I thought about trying to express my own Japanese-style world - which sprung from the flow of 'Basara' - in a different song.

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The series will apparently feature in next month's autumn edition of Prince Animage. Monthly Animedia was a waste of time this time, as was its sister publication Otomedia. The latter did at least mention both Masamune and Motochika in a column about attractive eyepatch-wearing guys.

I originally forgot to buy Monthly PASH! so it isn't shown in the first picture. It contained another interview with Sano Takeshi.

• Although Ieyasu seems like a nice guy who champions his ideals at first, deep down he's very conflicted. The staff paid careful attention to the way that he's always smiling and speaking positively in order to highlight his inner struggle.
• In depicting Masamune falling to rock bottom and then clawing his way back up, they used the story from the original Sengoku Basara 3 game as a framework and tried to expand it a little. With his 'revival' he becomes stronger than he was before.
• Yukimura's theme in this series is 'becoming independent'. With Oyakata-sama having fallen the hot-blooded guy has nobody to show him the path he should take, and he struggles with worries which stop him in his tracks. It's as though he started out being simple-minded then developed into a true leader.
• As for things to look out for over the course of the last few episodes, Sano hopes people will keep watching until the very end; both to see what happens in the Battle of Sekigahara, and what happens afterwards.
• He can't single out any individual character to look out for when all of them have some cool moments. There's Ieyasu and Mitsunari being hit by their true feelings before the conclusion, there's the story behind Tenkai using Sekigahara as part of his scheme, and there's the battle between Masamune and Yukimura.

Someone drew a picture of Kanbee for Monthly PASH!'s reader submissions gallery, congratulating him on finally being animated. The editor joked that Kanbee's presence seemed to raise the average age of the characters shown on that page - most of the other submissions were the hot teenagers from series such as Free! and Haikyuu!! so he looked very out of place.

Tasty new Judge End cakes are coming to Japan

Castella manjuu cakes are to be the newest addition to the Sengoku Basara Judge End merchandise range, according to the official website. They'll be available from anime specialists, tourist shops and the Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2014 (Kyomaf) event from 20th September 2014. It costs ¥700 for a pack of eight cakes and the fillings are to be custard (Masamune) and chocolate (Yukimura).

Cover artwork for Mame Sengoku Basara 4 volume 1

e-Capcom has unveiled the cover artwork for the first volume of the new Mame Sengoku Basara 4 manga, which is due for release later this month. It looks completely different to the clean artwork used for the original Mame Sengoku Basara series, but when it's this cute I don't mind that at all! Having more than one character on the cover means more of them will get to appear in future, too.

More Mame Sengoku Basara merchandise is on the way

Speaking of Mame Sengoku Basara, the folks at Gift are releasing another round of cute merchandise for fans of the series.

The first items are new mouse pads, available in a choice of nine designs for ¥500 each. They'll be on sale from November 2014.

There will also be two new sets of clear bookmarks priced at ¥500 apiece. These will be released in December 2014.

Sengoku Basara collaborates with another historically-themed event

There will be a special event next month to commemorate the 400 years since the Winter Siege of Osaka, in which the real-life Sanada Yukimura played an important role. It's only natural, then, that Sengoku Basara 4's version of Sanada Yukimura will be participating in the event by appearing on posters. As well as some kind of special campaign for those who purchase their tickets online, there will be illustrations and videos on display for Sengoku Basara 4 and Sengoku Basara Judge End, an exhibition of the costumes used in the Butai Sengoku Basara stage plays and merchandise to buy.

The Yukimura and the Sanada Ten Braves Exhibition will take place at the main branch of the Hanshin Department Store in Umeda, Osaka between 8th October and 14th October 2014. General admission will cost ¥500 with discounted pricing available for students.

To celebrate the event, there will be a pair of 'Giga-Basara' t-shirts available exclusively for visitors to the event available in sizes S through to XL. Naturally, one features Yukimura...

...while the other has a Sasuke design.

Members of the series' official fan club will be sent an invitation for the event with the next issue of the newsletter, which is due for release on 22nd September 2014.

There will be talk show events at the Butai Sengoku Basara 4 stage play

It's been announced that a selection of the Butai Sengoku Basara 4 performances will also feature 15-minute 'talk show' events with the actors on stage. The planned schedule is as follows.

3rd November 2014 18:00 (Tokyo)
Nakamura Seijirou (Ishida Mitsunari)
Hirose Yuusuke (Tokugawa Ieyasu)
Yoshida Tomokazu (Katakura Kojuurou)
Murata Youjirou (Sarutobi Sasuke)

7th November 2014 13:00 (Tokyo)
Nakamura Seijirou (Ishida Mitsunari)
Hirose Yuusuke (Tokugawa Ieyasu)
Yamaguchi Daichi (Date Masamune)
Matsumura Ryuunosuke (Sanada Yukimura)

22nd November 2014 18:00 (Fukuoka)
Nakamura Seijirou (Ishida Mitsunari)
Hirose Yuusuke (Tokugawa Ieyasu)
Katou Keisuke (Shima Sakon)
Fujita Ray (Shibata Katsuie)
Amano Kousei (Ashikaga Yoshiteru)

28th November 2014 18:30 (Osaka)
Nakamura Seijirou (Ishida Mitsunari)
Hirose Yuusuke (Tokugawa Ieyasu)
Yoshida Tomokazu (Katakura Kojuurou)
Murata Youjirou (Sarutobi Sasuke)
Kubodera Akira (Oda Nobunaga)
Taniguchi Masashi (Akechi Mitsuhide)

5th December 2014 18:00 (Nagoya)
Nakamura Seijirou (Ishida Mitsunari)
Hirose Yuusuke (Tokugawa Ieyasu)
Katou Keisuke (Shima Sakon)
Fujita Ray (Shibata Katsuie)
Amano Kousei (Ashikaga Yoshiteru)

Animate TV posts its weekly Sengoku Basara Judge End preview

Last but not least, Animate TV has posted the usual preview gallery for tomorrow's new anime episode.

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As well as the usual weekly dose of Judge End, tomorrow promises some additional entertainment as the Masamune-kun and Yukimura-kun mascots are going to be unveiled at Inazuma Rock Fes as promised last week. I'm looking forward to seeing how weird they look!