Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 9

It's taken a little longer than usual to write a review for the latest issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine, mainly due to the sheer volume of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi news which keeps distracting me in the last month before the game's release.

My slow pace is certainly not through lack of excitement, as the star is Sarutobi Sasuke this time and Sasuke is awesome. If you happen to be a fan, the new cover artwork, exclusive Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap and feature articles should make this a very tempting issue.

Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 9 was released on 29th June 2015, a month later than originally advertised. Priced at ¥2,500, it can be purchased from all good Japanese bookstores with international shipping including Amazon Japan, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh. There's an official preview article here if you want a look inside.

The new bonus CD is Showgeki Basara Talk! Sakon & Katsuie No Maki Vol. 1 with seiyuu Nakamura Yuuichi and Okamoto Nobuhiko. The CD was actually the very first thing I noticed since it's usually bundled with the magazine in a separate jewel case. This time, the CD has been packaged inside a cheap plastic sleeve tucked into the magazine itself. Fans have the option of downloading the CD jacket artwork and printing their own cover if they want their collection to match - it doesn't feel very luxurious. On the bright side, I guess it makes the magazine easier to ship and store.

Still, the most important thing is the content and the two voice actors have put together a good show for their listeners. Okamoto's naturally sweet personality is a funny contrast with his gloominess whenever he slips into character, and Nakamura has a cheeky attitude which plays off his co-presenter well.

The CD starts off with a candid talk segment where the two actors have to write Japanese kanji on sheets of paper then talk about how they relate to their characters in the game. Their illustrated papers are shown on the last page of the magazine, complete with silly doodles and autographs.

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 8

I can't believe that it's already time for another issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine! Shibata Katsuie graces the cover and exclusive Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap to mark the winter issue and indeed, it's a highly recommended purchase for his fans. A selection of preview images can be seen in this official blog post.

Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 8 was released a week later than it's usual month end slot in the schedule, on 2nd March 2015. Priced at ¥2,500, it can be purchased from all good Japanese bookstores which offer international shipping such as Amazon Japan, HMV, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh. The anime-style cover artwork from character designer Ookubo Tooru seems to have worked its magic once again as the book has reached the top of Amazon's gaming magazine charts several times in the last few days.

The bonus CD is Showgeki Basara Talk! Chousokabe & Mouri No Maki Vol. 2 with seiyuu Ishino Ryuuzou and Nakahara Shigeru. I missed their team antics at Basara Matsuri so it's good to hear from them again.

The pair start off by reading their fan mail (several people submitted questions about Sengoku Basara Judge End) then launch into the newest 'Basara Challenge' skit. The task this time is that Motochika and Motonari have to conduct an interrogation - except that they're too busy arguing and undermining one another to get anything productive done. The bad situation gets even worse when Motonari points out that a pirate isn't really in any position to look down on a criminal and the task is eventually abandoned in favour of a battle between the two warriors.

Lastly comes the 'Bonds Game' where they have to answer weird questions and compare their answers. Ishino and Nakahara seem to have a lot in common!

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 7

Autumn's issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine was released a few days ago with Sengoku Basara 4 newcomer Shima Sakon taking the honour of appearing on the cover and on the cute Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap. For Sakon fans, this book is likely to be indispensible; it's the first time since his debut that he's been the star of an entire publication.

Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 7 went on sale on 27th November 2014 priced at ¥2,500. It can be purchased from most Japanese bookstores which offer international shipping, such as Amazon Japan, HMV, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh. Prices will rise once stock starts to become scarce and the last issue is already out of print; given that this particular issue seems to be quite popular thanks to character designer Ookubo Tooru's anime-style cover illustration, it may sell out more quickly than usual.

With this being an odd-numbered issue it means that there's a new pair of characters featured on the CD. Showgeki Basara Talk! Motochika & Motonari No Maki Vol. 1 features two of the most beloved seiyuu of the series, Ishino Ryuuzou and Nakahara Shigeru. They're both lovely and tend to work as a natural comedy duo even during the unscripted parts of the show.

Their 'Basara Challenge' skit requires that Motochika and Motonari try to look after some children, which ends up being Motochika looking after the children while trying to prevent Motonari treating them as pawns in his army. The whole thing is greatly enhanced with childish background music and prerecorded sound effects of the children cheering at comical moments. No matter how much fun Aniki has trying to instil his values in his young charges, Motonari is always ready with a joyless insult of some kind to darken the mood.

The other special activity on the disc is a quiz where both seiyuu talked about their characters' more challenging lines. Overall, it's a pretty good Basara Talk CD.

My usual run-through of the rest of the magazine's contents follows.

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.

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 6

The summer issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine is devoted to Mouri Motonari, with a brand new CG illustration of him on the front cover and an adorable Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap.

Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 6 was released on 27th August 2014 priced at ¥2,500. It can be purchased from most Japanese bookstores which offer international shipping, such as Amazon Japan, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh. Once new copies have sold out the prices are likely to rise as they have for the previous issues.

The talk CD this issue is the follow-up to the previous one: Showgeki Basara Talk! Ieyasu & Mitsunari No Maki Vol. 2 starring seiyuu Ookawa Tooru and Seki Tomokazu. At close to an hour, it's the longest bonus CD yet! Since the Sengoku Basara Judge End anime has now started its run, they were able to talk about it more freely than before. It's funny how different Seki sounds when he's speaking normally and not using Mitsunari's intense voice. Among other topics, they replied to questions from fans and played a 'Bonds Game' where they had to answer strange questions about the series and compare their responses. Most of their answers were completely different...

The CD's 'Basara Challenge' skit was the 'Children's Telephone Consultation Room'. It parodies a real Japanese radio show called Kodomo Denwa Soudanshitsu where children call in with questions for adults to answer on a variety of topics. The seiyuu had to pretend they were talking on the phone since there wasn't really anyone on the other end during the live recording. Ieyasu was really good at speaking to the children! He tried to guide Mitsunari through the process and prevent him from terrorising the kids, which didn't work all that well - still, the results are very funny.

Having covered all of the bonus items, it's time to take an in-depth look at the contents of the magazine itself!

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 5

This season's issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine is a dazzling hot pink to celebrate Chousokabe 'Aniki' Motochika. Just like Mitsunari and Masamune in previous issues, he's received a brand new CG illustration for his role as the cover star. The collectible rubber strap shows a different side of Motochika in his cute Mame Sengoku Basara form.

Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 5 was released on 27th May 2014 priced at ¥2,500. It can be purchased from most Japanese bookstores which offer international shipping, such as Amazon Japan, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh.

The talk CD this issue is Showgeki Basara Talk! Ieyasu & Mitsunari No Maki Vol. 1 starring seiyuu Ookawa Tooru and Seki Tomokazu. I'm not usually interested in the 'Sekigahara duo' but thanks to their funny seiyuu they're hilarious in this kind of informal discussion. The conversations between the two seiyuu have a natural flow, then when they get into character for their 'Basara Challenge' drama Ieyasu always sounds as though he's provoking Mitsunari on purpose simply by being nice to him. The entire 'Basara Challenge' segment is amazing with members of the Toyotomi army cast as the purple, yellow, white and red warriors in a theoretical 'Sentai Hero' team: Sengoku Sentai Basaranger.

Somehow, hearing Ookawa saying the words 'Sengoku Basara: Judge End' in the CD's introduction made the upcoming anime adaptation feel closer than ever.

My rambling summary of the rest of the magazine follows!

Book review: Sengoku Basara 4: The Complete Guide

The 'review' part of this post will be brief as there's not a great deal to say about an official strategy guide. Sengoku Basara 4: The Complete Guide was published back on 22nd February 2014 by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki label. It was priced at ¥1,800 and is still readily available from most online stores, including CD Japan, Amazon Japan, Yesasia Global and HMV Japan.

The book is thick at 400 pages and contains exhaustive lists of just about every possible piece of information a person could want to know about Sengoku Basara 4; it's much more detailed than V Jump's earlier Sengoku Basara 4 PS3 Edition: Sengoku Sousei Eiyuutan Dramatic Heroes Guide. If you can only buy one of the two and want a detailed resource to go with the game, I'd recommend this one. My first edition copy also included a Shibata Katsuie bookmark, which was a pleasant surprise! It seems that there are at least three bookmark designs available since commenter VegaManX4 received Sakon instead and I've seen talk of a Masamune design elsewhere. There's probably a Mitsunari bookmark available as well.

Another bonus comes in the form of six Mame Sengoku Basara 4-panel comics strips right at the end of the book. They're very simple gags which parody certain moves and scenes from the game; even though they're drawn more simply than the regular series, they're a welcome addition.

I can't even begin to fully summarise the new information contained in this book - and I wouldn't particularly want to annoy the publishers by trying - but there are some important details which I think that other fans would like to know. I'm going to make a few translated notes which might make it a little easier for people trying to track down all of the game's secrets through the language barrier.

First of all, some general facts.

• Kyougoku Maria's element is officially wind.
• Ashikaga Yoshiteru's is 'all of them'.
• Naoe Kanetsugu's element is 'invincible'... as is his attack power, movement speed, etc. His character profile is taped into the book after the official ones and it looks as though he added it himself.
• As many people have suspected, there are official 'tiers' for how strong each warrior is in a kengeki sword clash. Hideyoshi, Tadakatsu and Yoshiteru are all regarded as 'A' rank and the list extends down to Oichi, Tsuruhime and Kingo who are all considered 'F' rank. The higher tier characters win clashes more easily, deal more damage upon victory and gain significantly more of a boost to their Style Gauge.
• Although all weapons can be made equal in the end, each different weapon type is linked to specific inscriptions and statistics. For example, if you're looking for the 'Six Realms' inscription you should be looking for the blue 'Derivation' battles as much as possible and playing on Basara difficulty. It only ever appears on the characters' sixth weapons in Normal difficulty so it will be exceptionally hard to find it that way.
• The chance of success with the 'Change' inscription is greatly affected by the quality of the inscription you combine it with. Using it on the gold-coloured inscriptions means that you'll get a green-coloured inscription as a reward approximately half of the time (even when the gold-coloured inscription hasn't been upgraded to the 'Extreme' version).

The bulk of the new information is about the game's stages. The stage selection system in Sengoku Basara 4's Sengoku Creation mode has confused a number of people, so I think I'll try to explain how it works using my experience and the data in the book. I'll start with the basics.

• You will always be given a maximum of six stages to play through in Sengoku Creation mode.
• If your character is one of those with alternate routes, you'll be prompted to choose your Drama (blue/white scroll) or Anime route (red/white scroll) after the third battle.
• Unlike most stages in a normal ('Creation') route, the stages for Drama and Anime routes are predetermined.
• If you're looking for a particular stage, don't play one of its boss characters or the stage won't appear (obviously). It's best to play as someone from an enemy faction!
• The Outbreak (red) stages can either appear at random based on the actions of other armies or as a result of you ignoring the random Omen (purple) stages.
• The Omen (purple) battles which appear during your campaign will lead to specific encounters if you ignore them.
• Clearing certain stages can cause specific Derivation (blue) stages to appear afterwards. In some cases, a single stage can lead to a chain of up to three related battles.

With that out of the way, I'm going to present the next set of information in a huge list. We now have confirmation of how to achieve some of the more obscure special challenges on each stage - as well as the conditions for triggering the stages in the first place. It's more obvious in-game if you can understand Japanese since the battle reports announce the developments before each stage appears with a cutscene.

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 4

I don't think it's unfair to call this fourth issue the least interesting volume of Sengoku Basara Magazine so far, primarily because its release comes long after most readers will have picked up their copies of Sengoku Basara 4. There's very little new information left to reveal about the latest game that hasn't also appeared in Weekly Famitsu, Dengeki Playstation and the various books which have been published, and it's apparently still too early for Capcom to share any news about the upcoming stage play or anime adaptation too. I'm hoping that will change next month after the Anime Japan event takes place but there's no way to know for sure.

Anyway, the magazine was released on 27th February 2014 for the usual price of ¥2,400. At the time of this review it is still available for order internationally through Amazon Japan, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh. All of the previous issues sold out reasonably quickly (the prices for used copies of the first issue are ridiculous) so it's best to place an order swiftly if you plan on adding this to your collection someday.

Ishida Mitsunari is the fourth warrior to feature on the magazine's cover and Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap. Like Masamune last year, he's received a new CG illustration - I hope that the other cast members (along with Yukimura and Ieyasu who missed out) will receive new artwork in the coming months now the game has been released!

The bonus talk CD is Showgeki Basara Talk! Yukimura & Sasuke No Maki Vol. 2 with seiyuu Hoshi Souichirou and Koyasu Takehito. I had a quick listen as I worked earlier and they were both adorable as they navigated topics about the Sengoku Basara 4 characters; Koyasu muttered that he liked Nouhime at one point and lamented her absence in the latest game. The popular 'Basara Challenge' segment involved Yukimura and Sasuke visiting an amusement arcade and trying out a crane game. Yukimura's tortured howls of disappointment made it very funny.

The first 28 pages of the magazine are devoted to tips and information about Sengoku Basara 4. Every single playable character gets some coverage, though since most of the space is devoted to the various story routes those with just one don't get as much attention as those with several. The gameplay tips don't include anything that hasn't already appeared in previous publications (we have to wait for the Complete Guide book for that). The article analyses each story (with occasional comments from the creators too) and small CG pictures of everyone posing in their alternate outfits provide a taster of the kind of content the Official Complete Works book will be presenting in the next few weeks.

Book review: Sengoku Basara 4: Sengoku Sousei! ~Shutsujin No Sho~

I'm calling it a book, but Sengoku Basara 4: Sengoku Sousei! ~Shutsujin No Sho~ is actually a glossy commemorative magazine rather than a durable guide. The official guide book will be released next week along with the Sengoku Basara 4 game itself.

Shutsujin No Sho, then, is more of a preview of the game to whet fans' appetites ahead of the big day next Thursday. It was released on 17th January 2014 for ¥1,500, and you can purchase it through all good import stores such as Amazon Japan, CD Japan, and Yesasia. This official preview article gives a good idea of what to expect from the contents.

Firstly, there are two sets of physical extras: four unique Mame Sengoku Basara badges for Masamune, Sakon, Katsuie and Mitsunari, and a clear poster which looks identical to the cover artwork without all of the text on top of it. Both are nice bonuses which help justify the price of this magazine.

Most of the magazine's content is made up of old information, unfortunately. There are character profiles for all forty warriors who appear in Sengoku Basara 4, and for some reason the first chapter of the official Sengoku Basara 4 manga adaptation by Yoshihara Motoko is replicated in its entirety - surely anyone who wanted to read it that badly would already have purchased Dengeki Maoh last month?

One thing I did find moderately useful was a chart at the beginning which shows which characters belong to each faction for the new game. Since I've seen a few people are confused, I'll replicate the important parts.

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 3

No matter how quickly the postal services work and how much information Japanese fans shared online, waiting for my copy of Sengoku Basara Magazine vol.3 was hard. Released on 27th November 2013 priced at ¥2,400, the magazine is still available through Amazon Japan, Yesasia, CD Japan and Manga Oh at the time I'm writing this post. The two earlier issues are now quite rare (and expensive) so fans who didn't preorder are advised to pick up their copy as soon as possible.

Tokugawa Ieyasu is the cover star this time, featuring on the Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap freebie and also in a special profile and interview within the magazine. Yet Sengoku Basara 4 fans are perhaps more interested in the magazine's surprise announcement that Mouri Motonari will be appearing in the upcoming game. I've already summarised a large portion of the other gossip from the magazine in an earlier post.

Ieyasu has to share his cover issue with another distraction too since the bonus disc is a talk CD starring Hoshi Souichirou (Sanada Yukimura) and Koyasu Takehito (Sarutobi Sasuke). The pair of them are in fine form and their chatter was full of energy; it made me want the new game even more so I can hear their new frantic mid-battle conversations!

The very first page of Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 3 includes the picture of Motonari and Sourin in a vast round-up of the latest Sengoku Basara 4 developments. There's a very clear statement next to a picture of the roster (with Mitsuhide and Tenkai shown separately) which confirms that there will be 40 characters in the new game with 32 among them being playable characters. A huge article highlights each character introduced since the previous issue (including Motonari) and incorporates snippets of background information from series director Yamamoto Makoto and producer Kobayashi Hiroyuki.

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 2

It didn't take quite as long as last time for my copy of Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 2 to wing its way from Japan to my letterbox. The magazine was released on 27th August 2013 priced at ¥2,400, and it sold out quickly at many online stores. Japanese vendors seem to be the best option for securing a copy if you haven't already; HMV Japan, Amazon Japan and Manga Oh are still accepting orders at the time I write this post. As previously reported, a brand new CG render of Sanada Yukimura is on the cover this time.

To give some backstory for the benefit of readers who come across this review in the future, Sengoku Basara 4 was announced back in March and one major character from the history of the series was particularly notable for his absence in the line-up. Capcom had been teasing that Yukimura would be the cover star of the second issue of the magazine for months, but after its release date had slipped by a month and the cover artwork still hadn't been confirmed, even the most optimistic fans had started to become concerned about the Takeda's 'young tiger'.

Consequently, the final unveiling of the magazine's cover late at night on the Sunday before its Tuesday release date was big news, finally confirming that Sanada Yukimura would be appearing in the newest game. A flood of relief and delight swept across the Japanese fandom when people finally saw his face on the cover with the announcement right beside it.

Book review: Sengoku Basara 3 Dengeki Visual & Sound Book

The Sengoku Basara 3 Dengeki Visual & Sound Book was the very last in the 'Visual & Sound Book' series. Published on 26th March 2011 by ASCII Media Works, it's still available from good Japanese bookstores such as Yesasia, CD Japan and Amazon Japan at the original price of ¥1,900 (¥1,995 with tax). There are a handful of small preview illustrations available on Capcom's website here.

Sengoku Basara 3 Dengeki Visual & Sound Book is only 80 pages in length and comes with a special 31-minute audio CD. There's no continuity between this and the other four Visual & Sound Books so everything can be enjoyed even if you don't have the earlier volumes.

The book opens with the usual 'Gravure of Heroes' with the theme 'VerSus Heroes', i.e. portraits showing pairs of characters together - usually mid-battle.

Capcom brought in some of their very best Sengoku Basara illustrators to make this set of pictures particularly rewarding. Sumeragi is up first with a gorgeous drawing of Ieyasu and Mitsunari clashing the way they do in the Sengoku Basara 3 opening movie. It's hard to believe that the artist behind the cute Mini Sengoku Basara Two and Mame Sengoku Basara manga can also handle a cool fight scene using a more conventional art style.

Book review: Sengoku Basara Kagaku Kenkyuujo (Sengoku Basara Science Laboratory)

Between September 2012 and January 2013, Yanagita Rikao of the Kuusou Kagaku Kenyuujo ('Fantasy Science Laboratory') wrote a series of eighteen columns for Famitsu's blog portal. The original goal of these articles was to promote Sengoku Basara HD Collection in a light-hearted way by having Yanagita analyse the moves and weapons used in the Sengoku Basara series, trying to uncover the real-world physics which made the techniques possible. I posted rough translations of all eighteen columns on this blog back when they first appeared (there wasn't much Sengoku Basara news to report on back then).

A compilation of the blog posts was released by Enterbrain in their Famitsu Books line on 28th June 2013. Sengoku Basara Kagaku Kenkyuujo ('Sengoku Basara Science Laboratory') was priced at ¥1,100 and sold through import book stores such as Yesasia, Amazon Japan or CD Japan; however, the first print run sold out within days of release. I expect that a second edition will be available very soon.

Given that the original blog entries were relatively short, the fact that this book is 176 pages long is a sign that the author has included some additional content. The videos from the original blog posts have been swapped for explanatory game screenshots while the comical diagrams by illustrator Morinaga Pizza remain. There are six new illustrations exclusive to the book edition.

After an introduction and a recap of the previous Sengoku Basara games, the book goes straight into the character profiles.

Book review: Basara Style volume 1

I was originally planning to summarise the whole of Basara Style in a single review since it's ancient, however there ended up being so many interesting pieces of information to include that it would have been impossible to organise it neatly! Please note that some of the details in these reviews will be outdated due to the age of the books.

According to the creators, Basara Style is a 'stylish contribution magazine made by the fans x Capcom'. The format is halfway between being a deluxe magazine and a standard fan book; each volume comes with a slipcover and pull-out posters. The Basara Style series ran for seven volumes in total between late 2006 and early 2009 - effectively covering the whole Sengoku Basara 2 period but stopping before the second major wave of fan activity which was triggered by the anime adaptation and Sengoku Basara 3.

Basara Style vol. 1 was originally released on 21st November 2006, a few months after the arrival of Sengoku Basara 2 on Playstation 2. It's the shortest of all of the books at just 96 pages, and it cost ¥1,260. Date Masamune has the honour of appearing on the front cover.

The fold-out poster in this volume is double-sided, with Masamune's CG artwork on one side and a beautiful illustration of him fighting with Sanada Yukumura on the other. The art is credited to Suekane Kumiko, a mangaka perhaps best known for her character design work in Capcom's Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney) series.

Magazine review: Sengoku Basara Magazine issue 1

At last, I received my copy of the first issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine, which came out on 27th April 2013 for a hefty ¥2,400. It had been advertised as a publication which was sure to be prized by collectors, but I hadn't realised just how difficult it was going to be to obtain. It wouldn't be surprising to see it receive a second print run given how quickly it disappeared from online shops! Animate, e-Capcom, Amazon, HMV Japan, Rakuten and Hobby Search Japan are all out of stock, so Amazon Marketplace looks as though it's the best option for anyone still looking for a copy outside Japan. I'd better be careful to place my preorder for the second issue in plenty of time.

The magazine is small by Japanese standards - about the same size as Shounen Jump, only a lot thinner at 122 pages. It comes with a Mame Sengoku Basara rubber strap featuring Date Masamune along with a special Showgeki Basara Talk! Masamune & Kojuurou No Maki Vol. 1 CD presented by Nakai Kazuya (Date Masamune) and Morikawa Toshiyuki (Katakura Kojuurou). The CD contains three skits (including a 'live' drama performance) and the opening/closing greetings from the two seiyuu. I haven't had a chance to listen yet.

In terms of the magazine itself, the whole of issue one is themed around Masamune (in case that wasn't obvious from the cover). The main feature is an exclusive interview with producer Kobayashi Hiroyuki (KobaP) and director Yamamoto Makoto on the topic of Sengoku Basara 4.

Today's acquisitions (2nd May 2013)

Today I received something exciting in the post!

In the top left is volume three of the Sengoku Basara fan club newsletter, which I'm not going to talk about further except to say it has nothing to do with Sengoku Basara 4 (I received my copy late). The cover is seasonal as usual and it also came with a mini clear file decorated with Mame Sengoku Basara characters (Muneshige, Sourin, Yoshiaki, Kanbee, Tenkai, Kingo and Gyoubu this time).

Anyway, next to it is Sengoku Basara Magazine issue one! And at the bottom is the special talk CD and the rubber strap which came with it.

I've got other things to attend to tonight, but I'll definitely be reading the magazine as soon as I get a chance to. Sleep is overrated anyway, right?

Book review: Sengoku Basara Dengeki Visual & Sound Book

The Sengoku Basara Dengeki Visual & Sound Book is another anthology which comes with its own special audio CD. There's no continuity between this and the other four Visual & Sound Books.

Just as with the other books, the Dengeki Visual & Sound Book opens with a 'Gravure of Heroes' illustration collection. The theme is pairs of heroes this time and it starts off with a collection of articles exploring the various friendships and rivalries in the series. Next comes a selection of full colour illustrations by the artists Aoi Levin, Kirishima Sou, Nagasawa Shin, Kazuaki, Hitaki, Shishizaru, Tsunako, Wolfina, Amajio Komeko and Kazama Raita. It's really weird seeing Tsunako drawing the Date forces for once instead of her favourite Takeda characters.

Next comes the main part of this book, a manga to tie in with the included audio CD. This is where things get a little confusing. For the Dengeki Visual & Sound Book, the pages come straight from the second half of Haibara Yak's Sengoku Basara 2 manga (the same one I reviewed here the other day, released in English as Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends). The entirety of Act 17: The Trickster and one scene from the climax of Act 18: Unbridgeable are reproduced in full, providing a coherent storyline about how the Toyotomi and Date forces were trying to outthink one another before a big confrontation.

The CD drama track is titled Comic Sengoku Basara 2 -returning to Zero.- and rather than being designed to be read alongside it, the audio performance carries straight on from the manga extract in the book starting with Act 19: Vengeance. It goes on to finish the story of the Sengoku Basara 2 manga, mostly word for word from the speech balloons. Since the CD only features Nakai Kazuya (Date Masamune), Morikawa Toshiyuki (Katakura Kojuurou), Okiayu Ryoutarou (Toyotomi Hideyoshi), a narrator and some miscellaneous soldiers, scenes with the other main characters have been completely omitted. This is less confusing than it sounds since only one brief scene with Kojuurou had to be cut at all to accommodate the restriction. The Toyotomi/Date storyline stands alone quite well.

I found making the audio drama a follow-up to the manga printed inside the book rather strange. Still, it was pleasant to hear the manga acted out with three of my favourite seiyuu and students of Japanese who happen to have books available might enjoy listening to this drama while referring to the English translated manga when necessary. The audio performance is a generous length too, clocking in at almost 25 minutes; it even includes 13 minutes of seiyuu chit-chat as a bonus.

The seiyuu discussions on the CD tie into the book again, unexpectedly. This time the usual pages of fan contributions such as artwork, letters and gags are accompanied by comments from Nakai, Morikawa and Okiayu themselves. There are even pictures of the actors holding the fan art to thrill the lucky people whose illustrations were chosen.

The final four pages of the book are devoted to preview images of the then-upcoming Sengoku Basara 3 game. I have mixed feelings about this volume overall. The audio performance was good and longer than usual, yet reusing the manga and removing the gimmick of being able to read along with it (without buying additional books) was a questionable decision by the producers.

Sengoku Basara Dengeki Visual & Sound Book was published on 26th December 2009 by ASCII Media Works and it's still readily available from good Japanese bookstores such as Yesasia and Amazon at its original price of ¥1,800.

Today's acquisitions (26th Feb 2013)

These acquisitions posts are slowing down recently since my anime purchasing has gone on hold for a couple of months (aside from an odd preorder slipping through here and there).

I got some good stuff today. First of all, my preorder for the US version of Hakuoki: Warriors Of The Shinsengumi (Hakuouki Musouroku) arrived. Because I'd purchased it from Amazon, it came with a bandana as a bonus. Aksys are probably my favourite US game company these days with their recent forays into otome titles.

I put the game box on top of Sannan's face for the picture because I don't like him much.

While checking the link for Hakuouki, I noticed that Sweet Fuse: At Your Side (Bakudan Handan) - the next of Aksys' otome games - is already up for preorder on Amazon, so I've added it to my list as well. It looks as though it's going to include some kind of bonus item too. Keep them coming, Aksys!

Hakuouki wasn't the only game-related item to come recently. Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires (Shin Sangoku Musou 6: Empires) also made an appearance along with its GAME-exlusive preorder DLC. Accompanying it are two Sengoku Basara doujinshi, one stunning Someya Rui art book loaded with full colour illustrations and the Haru Comic City 18 event catalogue.

It was unintentional, but I just noticed that I covered up Hisahide's face with the game in this picture. Perhaps I can make a habit of this if I buy enough games.

Book review: Zaregoto

Zaregoto was a series of light novels released between 2002 and 2005, which told six stories over the course of nine books. It was written by NisiOisiN, the quirky mind behind the Bakemonogatari series and many other hits. Stylish illustrations contributed by artist take added to Zaregoto's appeal.

Back in 2008, there was a surge of interest in NisiOisiN's work in the west so along with some tie-in novels and compilations, US manga publisher Del Rey translated and released the first book in the Zaregoto series. The second book followed two years later... and that seems to have been the end of it. Whether the reason was poor sales or a side effect of Kodansha's complicated acquisition of Del Rey's properties, the second book seems to be the last we'll ever see of English-translated Zaregoto.

The story follows the adventures of an unnamed protagonist (he's addressed by various nicknames depending on which character he's speaking to, but his full name is never clearly stated in these two books). Ii-chan - as he's referred to by his close friend Kunagisa Tomo - is a very unusual guy; he's unusually detached from the world while having a truly terrible memory. He provides lackadaisical descriptions of everyday Japanese life from the perspective of someone with no particular hobbies or interests of his own. In contrast, Kunagisa is an unapologetically eccentric computer genius who lives as a shut-in. She's by far the most interesting of the two, but so enthusiastic and scatterbrained that Ii-chan's commentary is the only thing holding the plot together whenever she's around.

The first book, The Kubikiri Cycle, drops the reader right in at the deep end with a traditional murder mystery on a secluded island. I found the story rather chaotic; it's a blend of genres from crime, shounen action, philosophy and self-aware otaku comedy. Although dropping the two leads into an island setting made it easier to get to know them away from their everyday lives, it also made keeping track of the surprisingly-large supporting cast difficult - not least because they were all very strange individuals with a litany of personal quirks to remember. My lasting impression was that it was a flawed yet thoroughly enjoyable work. I wasn't able to put the book down until I reached the last page, once it had finally settled into a rhythm.

With the second volume, The Kubishime Romanticist, the author sets the story out completely differently. I felt that this worked much better, following Ii-chan back home in Kyoto and gradually introducing a very simple cast of characters. On the surface it's another murder mystery, except it's also the introduction to what I presume eventually becomes an overarching plot on a grander scale. Ii-chan's personality is also explored in more detail. I enjoyed The Kubishime Romanticist even more than the first book in the series.

A sense of NisiOisiN's writing style came across well in the English edition, though it's quite exhausting to read because obscure geeky references and Japanese sayings aren't always as clear as they would have been in the original. A number of themes seem to crop up in his stories time and again; fans of his animated works will notice similarities between certain characters and imagery which crops up here. There's obviously a lot of the author's trademark wordplay in Zaregoto too, from the character names to the verbal sparring that runs through most of Ii-chan's conversations with other people. Some of this is retained in the English adaptation, but I'm sure a lot of it is lost in translation. In the end the script is a little awkward for sacrificing some of the original charm in order to be readable as an English language mystery story, while at the same time being too rich with Japanese pop culture material to ever really catch on with a mainstream audience. The translator must have had a very challenging time.

Zaregoto Book 1: The Kubikiri Cycle was originally available from all good booksellers, though it's recently become scarce and the asking price on the used market is increasing by the day. I bought my copy brand new back when it was still easy to find for the princely sum of 49p. From this I gather that it wasn't a hot seller in UK comic shops, at least.

Zaregoto Book 2: The Kubishime Romanticist is still priced more reasonably at the time of this review. It's out of print too, though, and I wouldn't be surprised if it joins the first book in time as NisiOisiN's work gradually gathers steam in the US thanks to Blu-ray releases of the anime adaptations of Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari and Katanagatari, not to mention Medaka Box in due course. As Del Rey haven't published any more Zaregoto books since 2010, and Kodansha have stated that they're probably not interested in releasing any more titles from Del Rey's old library, it doesn't look good for the series' future.

Still, if you don't mind knowing that the adventures of Ii-chan and Kunagisa will be brought to an end prematurely, the two books that are available do at least have decisive endings to the stories they contain. With NisiOisiN's popularity showing no sign of abating it's probably only a matter of time before Zaregoto is adapted into a quirky late night anime series or movie. That's what I'm hoping!

News: The complete Sengoku Basara 2 manga is now available in English

It's so rare that we get English-language news about the Sengoku Basara series that it deserves its own post.

Last night, Udon Entertainment announced on Twitter that the long-awaited second volume of Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends has finally been printed and sent to distributors. It's been delayed a few times, so they included a couple of tantalising photographs as proof of its existence. I can't wait to add the book to my collection!

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends is the English translation of the four-volume Sengoku Basara 2 manga. It was drawn by Haibara Yak and originally published between 2007 and 2009 in Japan. For the English-language edition, Udon split the manga across two hefty volumes rather than sticking to the same release format as the Japanese books.

There's a preview of the first volume on their website which gives a good idea of what to expect from Haibara's dynamic art style. As it's the official Sengoku Basara 2 manga, the plot naturally centres around the rise of the Toyotomi forces and the actions taken by the other armies in response. Unlike the Sengoku Basara 2 anime, the manga incorporates more characters from the game for a more balanced feel. As much as I adore Masamune, it's good to see characters like Nagamasa, Oichi, Kenshin and Keiji get some time in the spotlight.

Udon also mentioned that the first printing of volume one sold out and had to be reprinted. The new copies should be available at the end of the month. That's very comforting to hear, as brisk sales could mean that they will consider publishing more Sengoku Basara material in the future. There's plenty of manga out there for the series already just waiting to be picked up and brought to the west. A lot of fans don't seem to realise that the manga is out, so here are some links!

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends volume 1 (Amazon UK) (Amazon USA)
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends volume 2 (Amazon UK) (Amazon USA)

Udon also published the Sengoku Basara 3 Official Complete Works in English last year as Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes Official Complete Works. This art book is filled with design illustrations from the third game. They've posted an official preview with some samples as well as photographs of how the book looks; it's obvious that a lot of care has gone into bringing this to the west. All fans of the series owe it to themselves to take a look:

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes Official Complete Works (Amazon UK) (Amazon USA)

I think this is also a good opportunity to list the other Sengoku Basara products which are available in the west. Every single purchase of these products matters - let's show the publishers and Capcom that there's a real demand for Sengoku Basara overseas!

First of all, the complete anime has now been released by FUNimation. There's a UK release too from Manga Entertainment, but I can't recommend that: the US version offers a slick Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and limited edition box while the UK only had a Blu-ray for the first season. As well as the drop in quality, this means that the UK release is also completely missing four of the seven special Mini Sengoku Basara episodes which were only available on the Blu-ray version of the second season in the US. The US release is so low priced at around $20 per set that it blows the DVD-only UK version out of the water:

Sengoku Basara Blu-ray/DVD combo pack
Sengoku Basara 2 limited edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack
Sengoku Basara -The Last Party- Blu-ray/DVD combo pack

It looks as though the second season is currently out of stock, so a standard edition might be on the way soon. UK buyers shouldn't have to pay any customs fees purchasing the sets from the US since the price is below the customs limit (currently £15).

On the game side, the dreadful westernised version of the first Sengoku Basara, 'Devil Kings', is long out of print, and with the HD Collection out in Japan now it's difficult to recommend hunting down a copy of the gutted American adaptation. However, it's still possible to find the English-language version of Sengoku Basara 3 (titled 'Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes) quite cheaply. Weak acting and lack of the Japanese voices aside, it's a good game and worth picking up. If nothing else, counting the number of different ways the dubbed Masamune catastrophically mispronounces 'Kojuurou' in his dialogue is a game in itself!

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes for PS3 (Amazon UK) (Amazon USA)
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes for Nintendo Wii (Amazon UK) (Amazon USA)

All in all, the list of official English releases for the Sengoku Basara is pitifully short at the moment. With the anime finished and the games having stalled in the west, I hope that the fans will support the translated manga and make Capcom sit up and take notice of us again in future.