News: A new game is coming! Sengoku Basara Sanada Yukimura Den has been announced

Hey, KobaP's hint was worthwhile after all. I was getting a little disappointed as the day went on with the only new announcement being the second story in this post, but then Weekly Famitsu published its preview and...

Sengoku Basara Sanada Yukimura Den has been announced for this summer

It's been a long time since we first heard the title back in July(!) but Thursday's Weekly Famitsu is going to formally reveal the latest game in the Sengoku Basara series. According to the official preview on the Famitsu website, Sengoku Basara: Sanada Yukimura Den (Sengoku Basara: Sanada Yukimura Legend) is going to be released in Japan in summer 2016 on both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

The preview article describes it as being part of the Sengoku Basara Retsuden Series (a retsuden means a historical record of someone's achievements but they're spelling it slightly differently on purpose, so let's go with 'Sengoku Basara: Blazing Saga' or something for now). It says to expect a new 'Sengoku Drama' depicting Yukimura's life. Interesting.

The full details will be published in the magazine along with a staff interview so I'll grab a copy tomorrow night and take a look. It would seem to be a safe bet to assume that this is what KobaP will be talking about at the weekend's Jump Festa stage presentations.

Edit: BlackKite has already done some digging and it seems that we're going to be seeing Sanada Masayuki and Sanada Nobuyuki, and Date Masamune will be playable at some points in the game. Yukimura and Masamune will get things 'like new outfits and new attacks'. The leaks also cryptically mention that stages such as Osaka Castle will have new gimmicks they'll be different to before, which could imply that that they're using the same game engine.

I'm torn between being sad that I was working late today so I missed all of the initial excitement, and happy because it means my social media feeds are full of pages upon pages of delighted Yukimura illustrations already. I can't wait to read up on everything I missed!

Hey, I guess all of YamamotoD's relentless hinting about wanting to do something like Bontenmaru-hen for Yukimura someday was referring to this.

Capcom teams up with Panasonic for official Sengoku Basara headphones

The other big news today, which in retrospect is rather less exciting than a brand new game, is that leading electronics manufacturer Panasonic will be teaming up with Capcom to release Sengoku Basara headphones with both Date Masamune and Ishida Mitsunari designs.

BASARA CLUB fan club members with very quick decision-making skills can place their preorders between now and Sunday to qualify for the exclusive 'premium package' edition of the headphones, which is priced at ¥9,698. This edition comes with special packaging and a wooden tag proving that the owner is a foot soldier in the Date or Ishida forces.

Fans who just want the standard headphones without the premium package (¥8,618) will be able to preorder at a later date. Delivery is scheduled for March 2016.

News roundup: CD cover artwork, some event reports and a little merchandise

KobaP has been dropping some vague hints about news later today. I don't know whether it has anything to do with Sengoku Basara at all - his past hints have ranged from 'a new game is about to be introduced' to 'I'm going to retweet some cute comment from one of my friends' so it really could be anything, and he produces several different game series. Still, teasing keeps things interesting. Here are some actual news updates for now in case the hints turn out to be nothing after all.

The latest Sengoku Basara CD news

We now have the cover artwork for January's Sengoku Basara 10th Anniversary Warrior Themes Vocal Collection CD. A note adds that one of twelve (randomly-selected) trading cards will be included in each pack.

In addition, they have confirmed the videos included with the CD+DVD version. As previously hinted the DVD will include a special 'Sengoku Basara 10th Anniversary' movie and promotional clips from Sengoku Basara, Sengoku Basara 2, Sengoku Basara 2 Eiyuu Gaiden (Heroes), Sengoku Basara X (Cross), Sengoku Basara Battle Heroes, Sengoku Basara 3, Sengoku Basara Chronicle Heroes, Sengoku Basara 3 Utage, Sengoku Basara HD Collection, Sengoku Basara 4 and Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi.

Speaking of CDs and cover artwork, the series' anniversary website has confirmed the cover for the Drama Yose CD Sengoku Basara -Date Masamune & Sanada Yukimura- disc which will be released in January. The preview includes a sample image of the first volume's Animate-exclusive keychain.

A range of pixel-style keyrings is released - exclusive to Animega

Ten of the series' most popular characters are the focus of this range of 40mm pixel art acrylic keychains which will be exclusive to the Animega chain of shops. The keychains should now be available for ¥500 each online and from stores (the official release date was 12th December 2015).

Series mascot Ashigaru-kun reports on some Sengoku Basara tie-ins

There have been two new Ashigaru-kun reports this week; one from the Capcom Bar to accompany the previous post and another from the recent Sengoku Basara Qualification exams. The Capcom Bar report simply summarises all of the other new dishes with short explanations about their inspirations from the bar's manager.

The exam report transcribes a moment from the official audio announcements before the test, which featured Nakai Kazuya (Date Masamune) and Souichirou Hoshi (Sanada Yukimura) acting in character. It sounds as though it would have been worth going just to experience that, if it wasn't so far away and difficult to attend for those of us outside Japan. Yukimura's loud, over-excited personality probably put the test candidates in a very strange mood!

For fun they also include a few sample questions from the first part of the test.

• Sengoku Basara: Which of these does Uesugi Kenshin worship? Xavi, Fudou Myouou (Acala), Bishamonten or Christianity?
• Sengoku Basara 3: With which power is Tokugawa Ieyasu trying to unite Japan? Money, weaponry, bonds or magic?
• Sengoku Basara 4/Sumeragi: When Gotou Matabee uses his special move Gyakujou Yuuge No Rougoku, what kind of elemental effect does the finisher have? Fire, lightning, kuudere or every element?

(Some of the possible answers are silly, as you can see.)

The description of the second phase included more in-character announcements and more sample questions.

• Sengoku Basara: Which of the following items gives a bonus to one particular character? Fourth Paddle, Blue Dragon Blade, Air Cannon, Forgot My Hammer!
• Sengoku Basara 3/Utage: When Mitsunari equips his personal item, which of his special moves can be used with no time limit? Danzai, Kyoukou, Godbless or Messatsu Jigokusha?
• Sengoku Basara 4/Sumeragi: Which of these is the correct line Yukimura speaks when he unleashes a Basara move when Maximum Style status is in effect? This question was presented as a listening problem so the candidates heard Yukimura speak each line. They were all similar except for a change in whether Yukimura started off by yelling 'Burn out!', 'Hot-blooded Eruption!', 'Burn, spears; roar, blazing explosion!' or 'Get hot!'.

(The answers to the questions were Bishamonten, bonds, lightning, Forgot My Hammer!, Kyoukou and the third dialogue option, but I'm sure a lot of readers knew that already.)

The Premium Bandai Sanada Yukimura Jacket will be available for a third time

If you have money to spare and want an unusual Yukimura-related item for your wardrobe, the third round of preorders have opened for the deluxe Yukimura jacket (with gloves) from Premium Bandai. The ¥100,000 price tag is unchanged. Preorders must be made before 12th January 2016 and the clothing will then be delivered in February.

News roundup: Stage play updates, the Jump Festa schedule and another Basa-ranking poll

I should know better than to post that I don't expect much news for a while when it comes to this series...

The latest Butai Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi stage play information

This winter's new stage play was the focus of this morning's updates and the details are all on the official homepage. Firstly, Nakayama Yuuki and Yamaguchi Tomoya, both of SOLIDEMO, will be joining the cast as members of Motochika's crew! It's a fun idea to bring two pop singers into the play as guest stars, and I hope it means that there will be some comical scenes (and maybe even songs?) for Aniki this time around. The two guest stars will come back on stage for a chat with the audience after the show on 29th January 2016.

The update also introduced preview pictures of Masamune (Shiono Akihisa), Yukimura (Matsumura Ryuunosuke) and Motochika (Shiramata Atsushi) in costume! You can see them all over at 4 Gamer if that's easier than the Twitter links.

There will be two short Sengoku Basara presentations at Jump Festa

We finally have the details for the Sengoku Basara stage presentations at this month's Jump Festa event courtesy of the Capcom website. They're scheduled for Saturday 19th December 2015 from 14:30 to 15:00, and Sunday 20th December 2015 from 10:40 to 11:10. That's not much time. They're specifically being described as news presentations, and the speakers will be KobaP and Ashigaru-kun (the little blue puppet mascot character who appears at some live events).

A closer look at the new Sengoku Basarai items on the Capcom Bar menu

Speaking of Ashigaru-kun, he's been busy featuring in the first of a series of reports about the new dishes on offer at the Capcom Bar in Shinjuku. The initial report covers the deluxe Sengoku Basara Battle Set and attempts to explain the connections between each of the characters and the types of food on offer. It's a little silly. There will be another report posted next week to show off more of the new menu items.

Share your Sengoku Basara love in another official ranking

It's already time for the second 'Basa-ranking' fan survey. The newest poll is asking everyone for their opinions on which previous Sengoku Basara title had the best gameplay mechanics.

To place your vote, visit this page and click the golden button underneath the picture of the game you want to select. You'll be asked to confirm your choice, then after a short time the game you picked will be highlighted in gold and your vote will be registered. The voting is open until noon on Christmas Day 2015 (Japan time) so don't delay!

More upcoming Sengoku Basara manga cover art appears

We now have a proper preview of the Wan-Nyan Sengoku Basara manga cover artwork courtesy of e-Capcom. It's looking nice and colourful!

The cover artwork for the third volume of Mame Sengoku Basara 4 is also now available. It's sad to think that this will be the final book in the series.

News roundup: Catching up on various things

There isn't much brand new information to report on at the moment, but there have been a lot of updates about previously-known projects. Here's a round-up to bring everything up to date. I'm not expecting much more news until Jump Festa in a few weeks since KobaP will probably want to save his updates for the stage presentation there.

Details for the upcoming Sengoku Basara radio show starring Hoshi Souichirou

Seiyuu Hoshi Souichirou (Sanada Yukimura) has been selected to host the Internet radio show which was first announced back in September. The main purposes of this series will be to promote the three new drama CDs and celebrate the tenth anniversary of Sengoku Basara, so they've picked a good person for the role.

Sengoku Basara -Nekketsu! Yose Raji!- ('Sengoku Basara: Hot-blooded! Variety Theatre Radio!') will begin its Animate TV broadcast run on 25th December 2015, then run on a fortnightly schedule with episodes every other Friday. There will be a special guest accompanying Hoshi each time, with Ishida Akira (Takenaka Hanbee) appearing in the first episode.

The preview information explains that there will be a 'Sengoku Basara's Ten Years, My Ten Years' segment which is for the listeners (and hosts) to reflect back on the last decade, and an 'Oyakata-samaa! I'm Coming Out!' segment where Hoshi will 'come out' on behalf of the listeners and say things they regret not having said themselves (please note that the English expression 'coming out' has a rather broader meaning in Japanese than it does in its original language).

Fan letters and contributions are being accepted at the official Animate TV page. If you want to send them a message, click the link with the orange background under the show's logo and fill in your pen name, e-mail address, location (the final option in the list is 'overseas'), sex (male, female), age, theme (normal letter, Sengoku Basara's Ten Years, My Ten Years, Oyakata-samaa! I'm Coming Out!) and finally, write your letter. The orange button will submit the form.

Fan club members can now purchase another batch of exclusive stickers

Members of the official BASARA CLUB fan club are being offered a new set of IC card stickers through the exclusive online store. Even though these won't be released for general purchase, they're cute so I wanted to share the news.

Win Sengoku Basara goods at Plaza Capcom locations across Japan

A second selection of gemstone bracelets is on the way in the form of amusement arcade prizes this winter. These follow the previous bracelets from February 2015. This time, there will be designs themed around Sanada Yukimura, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Chousokabe Motochika and Mouri Motonari.

Like before, there will also be another special prize available in the form of a metre-long toy replica of Mitsunari's blade Mumeitou: Haku ('Nameless Sword: White'). Customers can try to win the sword and bracelets from a selection of Capcom-affiliated arcades across Japan from mid-December 2015.

Sengoku Basara returns to the Namba Walk shopping centre in Osaka

Sasuke's secret mission in Osaka must have been a success earlier this year as the second half of the event has now been unveiled. This new 'episode' in the story is titled Osaka: Mysterious Rebellion ~Escape From Namba's Hidden Castle Town~ Side Story: Date Masamune And The Mysterious Fortress. As the title implies, this time Date Masamune is playing a central role.

Visitors will be tasked with solving the mystery in order to win the exclusive event cards shown below.

There will also be a photography corner, promotional videos and other fun activities at the Sengoku Basara booth. The event will run between 11:00 and 20:00 (last admission 19:00) on the following dates: 5th/6th December 2015, 30th/31st January 2016, 27th/28th February 2016 and 19th/20th March 2016.

Farewell, Mame Sengoku Basara 4

It doesn't feel as though it's been long since Sumeragi's Mame Sengoku Basara manga finished and then relaunched as Mame Sengoku Basara 4, but now it seems as though even that is coming to an end. A tweet from Sumeragi previewed the latest chapter from November's Dengeki Maoh magazine and quietly mentioned that it was going to be the final episode of the series. This will leave Dengeki Maoh without any Sengoku Basara manga at all, so I'm guessing that YamamotoD's character background column will be disappearing as well (it wasn't included in the latest issue).

I hope we get more news about the upcoming Sengoku Basara Dokugan manga to soften the blow. It's weird that the series now has no manga serialisations running at all.

In happier manga-related news, Dengeki Maoh included a tiny preview picture showing the cover illustration for the compiled book version of Wan-Nyan Sengoku Basara.

Prerelease information for next year's special Sengoku Basara vocal CD

The Sengoku Basara 10th Anniversary Warrior Themes Vocal Collection CD is now up for preorder on Amazon Japan, and as a result the singers can now be matched to their respective songs.

Date Masamune's Theme Song (YOFFY from Psychic Lover)
Sanada Yukimura's Theme Song (m.c AT)
Tokugawa Ieyasu's Theme Song (Miyazaki Ayumi)
Ishida Mitsunari's Theme Song (Shin Min-Chul)
Kasuga's Theme Song (Raychell)
Maeda Keiji's Theme Song (m.c AT)
Oda Nobunaga's Theme Song (Miyazaki Ayumi)
Tsuruhime's Theme Song (Ikio Ayaka)
Takenaka Hanbee's Theme Song (Shin Min-Chul)
Sen No Rikyuu's Theme Song (YOFFY from Psychic Lover)
Kyougoku Maria's Theme Song (Akita Chisato from KAMEN RIDER GIRLS)
Ashikaga Yoshiteru's Theme Song (Miyazaki Ayumi)

My guesses weren't very accurate... I hope we get some previews of the songs soon as I'm curious about how they'll sound (though I'm buying the CD even if they're terrible, of course).

The latest stage play DVD has been delayed by a few weeks

In case anyone is waiting for the Butai Sengoku Basara vs Devil May Cry DVD, which was supposed to be released a few weeks ago on 11th November, there has been some kind of unspecified production delay and it should ship soon. It hasn't been cancelled!

--

My copy of the Sengoku Basara 10th Anniversary Eiyuu Taizen: Kiwami encyclopaedia arrived earlier than expected and it's not quite as massive as I feared! It came in an unnecessarily cute box.

The book is loaded with pictures and staff comments, which are going to take me a while to go through. I'll read it properly when I'm more awake.

Hey, there are some familiar-sounding names in the selection of fan comments...

News roundup: Sengoku Basara box art ranking, and T.M.Revolution will appear at Basara Matsuri

The results of the first official online Basa-ranking survey

The results from the first online Basa-ranking poll have now been revealed. They asked the fans to pick which of the series' box art illustrations they liked the most and quite a lot of people voted to produce the following list.

1. Sengoku Basara 3
2. Sengoku Basara 2 Eiyuu Gaiden (HEROES)
3. Sengoku Basara 3 Utage
4. Sengoku Basara 4
5. Sengoku Basara X (Cross)
6. Sengoku Basara
7. Sengoku Basara Battle Heroes
8. Sengoku Basara 2
9. Sengoku Basara Chronicle Heroes
10. Sengoku Basara HD Collection

You can download the smartphone lock screen images based on the winning image here. Mitsunari and Ieyasu don't appear on many of the designs so perhaps this win can be attributed to a combination of their appeal and the fact that Sengoku Basara 3 did so well; the Battle of Sekigahara is a very popular theme, after all!

The website suggests that we can all look forward to another Basa-ranking soon. Let's hope we don't have to wait too long to share our opinions about something else.

The latest Sengoku Basara book news

The cover illustration for the third (and final) volume of Yoshihara Motoki's Sengoku Basara 4 manga adaptation has now been revealed ahead of its release next week and it's another stunning picture. Sakon and Katsuie didn't get their own covers so they're sharing this one with their allies in the background. I hope that Yoshihara will return to the series for more adaptations in future.

In other book-related news, today is the release day of Sengoku Basara Rival Fortune-Telling from Wani Books. Capcom published a preview to mark the occasion and it shows the way that the information is presented to fit the 'rivals' theme. I'm tempted to say that it's almost as good as a mini art book if you like Yupon's cute illustrations - even if you can't read the text.

A footnote adds that there's a special bonus if you purchase the book from Animate; while stocks last it will come with an oversized clear bookmark.

Another musical performer is added to the guest list for Basara Matsuri

While this isn't exactly a surprise to anyone who has ever been following Basara Matsuri event news, Capcom recently made the big announcement is that musician T.M.Revolution will be attending the Sengoku Basara 10th Anniversary Matsuri ~Feast of Ten Years, Ten Shades~ event in March 2016 as a performer guest. He will be present on both Saturday and Sunday.

Even if it was expected from the moment the event was first announced, this is great news. It's going to be a great celebration of the series!

The cute Sengoku Basara stickers from B-side Label are back - and they brought friends

CafeReo has posted information about a new batch of 80x65mm Capcom x B-side Label stickers and they're already up for preorder. Kojuurou, Sasuke, Keiji, Motochika and Motonari are joining the product line for ¥400 before tax apiece.

The four designs used for the original stickers are returning too for the Capcom x B-side Label Sticker L range. The 'L' versions are larger at (approximately) 110x100mm in size and cost ¥1,000 each before tax.

Packs containing all of the sticker designs are also available for those who want the full sets.

Release dates and the first cover illustration for those three upcoming drama CDs

Remember the three drama CDs announced at Tokyo Game Show 2015? We now have the full release details. The story outlines and character lists are as described in my original TGS 2015 post.

The first disc will be released on 27th January 2016. It's titled Drama Yose CD Sengoku Basara -Date Masamune & Sanada Yukimura- and the preliminary cover artwork is shown below. They're using the Judge End art style again for this comical food-themed illustration:

The second release will go on sale on 24th February 2016 titled Drama Yose CD Sengoku Basara -Tokugawa Ieyasu & Ishida Mitsunari- and the third, Drama Yose CD Sengoku Basara -Sen No Rikyuu-, will be available on 23rd March 2016.

Each CD costs ¥2,000 before tax for the standard version or ¥2,500 before tax for the Animate special edition with an illustrated keychain. The information about Animate's keychain bundles (which can now be preordered) is available here.

News roundup: A brand new Sengoku Basara tribute CD and more Basara Matsuri guests

They're not quite character songs - but Sengoku Basara is to inspire a full vocal album

This is pretty interesting and unexpected!

A press release went out today to reveal that the Sengoku Basara 10th Anniversary Warrior Themes Vocal Collection CD will be released on 20th January 2016 via the Avex Music Creative label. The price and product specifications have yet to be determined, but we do have a list of tracks that are planned for inclusion, composed from character themes that have been remixed and turned into vocal songs:

Date Masamune's Theme Song
Sanada Yukimura's Theme Song
Tokugawa Ieyasu's Theme Song
Ishida Mitsunari's Theme Song
Kasuga's Theme Song
Maeda Keiji's Theme Song
Oda Nobunaga's Theme Song
Tsuruhime's Theme Song
Takenaka Hanbee's Theme Song
Sen No Rikyuu's Theme Song
Kyougoku Maria's Theme Song
Ashikaga Yoshiteru's Theme Song

The artists who will be contributing to the album are as follows - it's really more of a tribute album than a traditional character vocal album:

m.c AT
Miyazaki Ayumi
YOFFY (from Psychic Lover)
Shin Min-Chul
Raychell
Akita Chisato from KAMEN RIDER GIRLS
Ikio Ayaka
SOLIDEMO

According to the announcement, the artists were carefully selected to match the motifs of each song.

As well as the twelve tracks listed above, SOLIDEMO's Sengoku Basara series anniversary song Toki Wo Koete ('Beyond Time') will be included for a total of thirteen songs. The CD will come with a DVD which is set to feature a tenth anniversary Sengoku Basara video clip (probably the one shown during the Nico Nico broadcast over the summer) and eleven additional clips made with footage from the games.

More musically-themed Basara Matsuri guests are announced

I knew it! This morning the following seiyuu guests were added to the list of those attending the Sengoku Basara 10th Anniversary Matsuri ~Feast of Ten Years, Ten Shades~ event in March 2016:

Morikawa Toshiyuki (Katakura Kojuurou)
Okamoto Nobuhiko (Shibata Katsuie)

The two actors will only be appearing for the Saturday performance. In addition, these recording artists will also be participating:

m.c AT
Miyazaki Ayumi
YOFFY (from Psychic Lover)
Raychell
Akita Chisato from KAMEN RIDER GIRLS

Raychell and Akita Chisato will only be present for the Sunday show.

I'm curious about how this will work as part of the event; there are quite a few musical performers now and and it's looking as though this Basara Matsuri will have a unique atmosphere. It sounds fun!

Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi had 'solid' sales in Japan, according to Capcom

Fan OneSanitarium has found a few interesting statements in Capcom's latest English-language investor report. It looks as though Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi has been reasonably successful and even though we still don't have digital sales figures to allow us to speculate much more than that, they specifically mention that they were 'solid'. If their other series are struggling it would be lovely to imagine that they might eventually consider bringing the series west again, perhaps first as a digital-only title to minimise the risk...

News roundup: Historical events, Sengoku Basara food and manga releases

I was holding out for the third round of guests for Sengoku Basara 10th Anniversary Matsuri ~Feast of Ten Years, Ten Shades~, which KobaP has been teasing will be announced soon. I bet they reveal them in the morning now I've finally gone ahead and written up this post, especially since the fan club website is due for an update later too.

Visiting Japan? Check out these historically-themed events with Yukimura and Motochika

The first of the two most recently-announced events is themed around Sanada Yukimura and based around Ueda in the Nagano area, where there are famous historical sites relating to the Sanada clan almost everywhere you go. It's a sightseeing stamp rally event which will take place between 31st October and 29th November 2015. Last year's campaign was called Shinshuu Ueda x Sengoku Basara Stamp Rally ~Part 1 - Battle of Ueda: The Tokugawa Army Repelled~ and this year's has a suitably splendid name as well.

Shinshuu Ueda x Sengoku Basara: Sanada Pilgrimage Stamp Rally ~Conquer The Famous Sanada Locations~ requires participants to pick up (or download) a stamp rally map which has blank spaces for six stamps, conveniently marked by Yukimura, Mitsunari, Sasuke, Tadakatsu, Ieyasu and Masamune from Sengoku Basara. Each stamp is located at an important local landmark in the Ueda area and there are helpful tips for navigating to each location on the sheet itself. Once the sheet is complete, it can be exchanged for an exclusive A2 poster between 10:00 and 16:30 on the second floor of the Ueda City Tourism Centre. Participation is completely free.

Furthermore, if you take the time to complete an incredibly short survey when you submit your map, you'll also receive an exclusive commemorative card as shown below.

If you're more of an Aniki fan, the Chousokabe Motochika RALLY event is now in its fifth year and it will be running between 31st October 2015 and 31st January 2016. Visitors to Nankoku City (Kochi Prefecture) can pay ¥200 to participate in a 'quiz rally game' where they solve puzzles to uncover hidden checkpoints on a map, and it's all set against the backdrop of the real-life Chousokabe's birthplace. Participants will receive illustrated stickers and chances to win additional prizes as rewards for their hard work.

More details are available on the slightly strange Nankoku City Tourist Association website.

New Sengoku Basara food and drink is coming to the Capcom Bar

The Capcom Bar in Shinjuku has recently announced a major update to its menu, with a few items being discontinued and replaced by new versions starting from 2nd November 2015. They're also making it easier to drop in and try the bar out by relaxing the usual reservation system between 14:00 and 18:00 on weekdays. At the moment, you have to make a timed reservation which can be daunting if you're a foreign visitor without much knowledge of Japanese.

I thought it would be fun to take a look at the new Sengoku Basara goodies that they have on offer to commemorate this update.

The six new food items are Kyougoku Maria's 'My Prisoner♪' Caesar Salad (¥830), Takenaka Hanbee's Ultimate Strategist Carpaccio (¥730), Katakura Kojuurou's Nutritious Root Vegetable Soup (¥580), Mouri Motonari's Nichirin A La Carte (¥780), Sarutobi Sasuke's Shuriken Green Tea Pudding (¥580) and the huge Sengoku Basara Battle Set (¥3,980). The description explains that it normally takes three or four people to 'clear' the Battle Set but diners can take it on single-handedly if they want to try 'Basara difficulty'. The items in the set include references to Masamune, Yukimura, Mitsunari, Ieyasu, Motochika, Motonari, Keiji and Yoshiteru.

Then for drinks, there's Date Masamune -TESTAMENT- (¥680), Sanada Yukimura -Senryou Hanabi- (¥780), Ishida Mitsunari -Battougiri- (¥680), Sen No Rikyuu -Nodate- (¥450), Chousokabe Motochika -Sabaki- (¥780) and Tokugawa Ieyasu -Aoi No Kiwami- (¥680). I know that it's completely in character, but the Rikyuu drink really doesn't look all that interesting for a novelty item. It supposedly comes with a fan-shaped coaster to make things more fun.

The popular Date Masamune akashiyaki and the recent Sakon/Katsuie dishes will remain on the menu after the update takes place.

Listings appear for the next batch of Sengoku Basara manga releases

These were revealed in the last volume of Sengoku Basara Magazine (which er, I still have to finish reviewing, don't I?) and now Manga Oh has provided a few additional details.

Tane Jugou's comical Wan-Nyan Sengoku Basara manga from Sengoku Basara Magazine will be collected into a single volume under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Comic EX label. It will be available on 19th December 2015, which happens to be the same day that Sumeragi's Mame Sengoku Basara 4 volume 3 is scheduled for release.

In addition, the third (and final) volume of Yoshihara Motoki's Sengoku Basara 4 manga is coming out very soon too as previously announced, so there are quite a few books to collect this winter!

News roundup: Halloween sales, a card game, elections and fortune-telling

KobaP has been dropping hints about this year's Jump Festa event, scheduled to be held in December. I don't expect any major Sengoku Basara announcements there, but it seems that there will be a stage presentation with the latest news. It's something to look forward to!

Receive a seasonal bonus when you buy Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi costume DLC

This is being billed as a seasonal Halloween special offer, so imagine my disappointment when I opened the full article and saw that there were no new Halloween-themed costumes as part of the deal. Bah!

Anyway, the purpose of the offer is to give customers who purchase sets of collaboration costume DLC a special bonus if they buy before 3rd November 2015. Each of the full sets of costumes (as shown at the link above) will be bundled with the DLC booster pack 'Weapons with inscriptions: 11 types, full set (large)'. The booster pack is worth ¥1,000 on its own so if you were planning on purchasing the DLC anyway and wanted to start off with some good weapons, it's a nice deal.

I guess the DLC hasn't been selling well enough to justify actual Halloween outfits this time....

Sengoku Basara cards feature in a tie-in campaign with Lord of Vermilion

The other big news earlier today was that Lord of Vermilion Re:3 is welcoming Sengoku Basara's Masamune and Yukimura to its card roster.

I was personally even happier seeing that the other game mentioned in the same announcement was Final Fantasy XIV - it's like they chose both of my favourite titles at once! While the Final Fantasy XIV tie-in is two-way and not entirely unexpected, the inclusion of the Sengoku Basara cards is more surprising. It seems that the game is planning to include a large number of crossover characters this time around.

Both Masamune and Yukimura have been illustrated by Naora Yuusuke and they're armed with their famous signature moves, adapted to fit the Lord of Vermilion setting.

There have been so many crossover illustrations over the last few years; I really wish they'd collect them all up in an art book for those of us who can't keep track of so many different card games.

Aniki encourages his fans in the Kochi area to vote for their next governor

Another recent announcement (also available fully translated into English) is that Sengoku Basara's Chousokabe Motochika is the next character to use his considerable charisma to help publicise real-world politics. A major campaign is underway in the Kouchi area to raise awareness of the region's gubernatorial election on 15th November 2015, and Motochika has been selected to appear on posters throughout the area. The design is certainly attention-grabbing!

(I wish they ran election campaigns like this in my country.)

Sengoku Basara gets several mentions in Capcom's annual report

Fan OneSanitarium sent me a link to a great report recently via All Games Beta which is particularly interesting if you're an English-speaking Sengoku Basara fan. The latter parts (from page 103 onwards) are completely dedicated to the history of the series with plenty of behind-the-scenes anecdotes, making it the first official translated material we've had in quite a while!

I'd already seen some of the information in Japanese interviews but the excitement of being able to see it all formally translated into English is a completely new experience. The writing style is quite candid and I think it gives a good impression of the challenges that the games' development teams have faced over the years. Do check it out if you get the chance.

The original source for the report appears to be the Capcom investor page here.

Divine your future with the characters of Sengoku Basara

Amazon Japan has listed a mysterious new book titled Sengoku Basara Rival Fortune-Telling. It's priced at ¥1,404 and due for release on 20th November 2015 from Wani Books. Interestingly, artist Yupon is credited with providing the illustrations; I wonder whether there will be some new One Coin Grande figures which use the new designs one day?

This isn't the first time that Sengoku Basara has inspired a fortune-telling book so the staff will have to work hard to set it apart from the previous volume. The listing explains that readers will be matched to one of 48 character types and given advice on work, love and future prospects.

Check out the Densetsu No Sutadonya dining collaboration with Capcom TV

The team at Capcom TV paid the Densetsu No Sutadonya restaurant chain a visit as part of their news coverage for episode 29 of the show, and for those of us who can't participate in person the video clip they produced is probably the next best thing. The shop's manager talks the viewers through each of the dishes and points out how they designed the dishes to match particular warriors from the series.

The report starts at around the 7:30 mark in the video.

Streaming: Autumn 2015 anime first impressions

I almost had a clean slate for the start of this season as the majority of the ongoing titles I was watching came to an end recently. Only Ushio To Tora and Gintama are continuing for now. Unfortunately, a lot of the new titles seem to be on the weaker side so it's mostly sequels to old favourites making it onto my schedule for the season. Perhaps I'm becoming harder to please, or perhaps there are just too many wobbly light novel adaptations which all blend together.

Crunchyroll started off with the strongest lineup and for once, they don't seem to have any new titles which are completely unavailable in the UK; Daisuki and Viewster have grabbed everything Crunchyroll missed out on getting proper rights for. Daisuki in particular have quite a few titles this time. As usual, Animax UK held their cards close to their chest and kept quiet about their simulcast plans until several weeks into the season, as though to force me to delay this post. Nothing has actually become available on their website yet though so I'm posting it anyway because I need to catch up with my life.

The awful vampires are back, yay!

News roundup: More about next year's Basara Matsuri and the next stage play DVD

The second batch of guests are announced for March's big live event

The official Sengoku Basara social media accounts have been teasing the announcement of more guests for Sengoku Basara 10th Anniversary Matsuri ~Feast of Ten Years, Ten Shades~ recently, and this morning the second news bulletin was finally posted.

There will be two musical guests at the event: Ishikawa Chiaki (Saturday only) and the pop group SOLIDEMO (both days). Ishikawa is a regular who has contributed a substantial number of songs to the series already, but if you haven't been keeping up with recent news you might not be familiar with SOLIDEMO's collaboration on the series' tenth anniversary theme song Toki Wo Koete. It's an interesting choice to feature a group like this at a Sengoku Basara event.

There are also a few new seiyuu guests to add to the already-generous roster. Nakamura Yuuichi (Shima Sakon) and Miki Shinichirou (Gotou Matabee) will be appearing on Saturday while veteran actor Wakamoto Norio (Oda Nobunaga) will be in the Sunday show.

There's been no mention of Nishikawa Takanori in the guest list so far, but I'd be very surprised if he isn't going to be included, especially with only one musical guest on Sunday. T.M.Revolution performances are one of the highlights of a good Basara Matsuri! He's famous enough to be able to have his own dedicated announcement later on and the guest lists advise that more performers will be added later on. We should see a third round of guests revealed in due course.

If you missed the first news about this event, the original guest list and schedule information can be found here.

Release information for the Sengoku Basara vs Devil May Cry stage play DVD

Those of us anxiously waiting to place our preorders for the Butai Sengoku Basara vs Devil May Cry stage play DVD will soon be able to relax now that Capcom have announced the release is definitely going ahead. The DVD version will cost ¥7,000 and go on sale on 11th November 2015, with preorders opening tomorrow in conjunction with the launch of the play's official online shop.

The set will include two DVDs. The first contains the show itself and lists a runtime of 183 minutes, while the second is for 118 minutes of bonus material, including footage from the curtain call of the grand finale, a summary of the 'after talk' sessions and some cast interviews. The first press version of the DVD will come with a special booklet as its bonus.

Edit 10/10/2015: The shop listing is now live and confusingly it gives a runtime of 167 minutes for the main feature with 119 minutes of bonus material. Even though there were subtitles for the live performances the disc is listed as being in Japanese only - I left a disappointed comment when I placed my order.