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!

Manga review: Mame Sengoku Basara 4 volume 1

Sumeragi's confusingly-named Mame Sengoku Basara 4 ('Bean Sengoku Basara 4') manga is the spiritual successor to the five-volume Mame Sengoku Basara series, updating the setting to match the latest game and introducing a few new faces to the enormous character roster.

This volume from ASCII Media Works collects the first batch of chapters from the series' serialisation in Dengeki Maoh magazine, as well as two side stories originally produced for Sengoku Basara Magazine. It was released on 27th September 2014 for ¥780 before tax and contains ten chapters of the manga spread over 130 pages. Mame Sengoku Basara 4 volume 1 can be purchased from import stores such as Amazon Japan (also on Kindle), CD Japan or Apple's iBooks Store.

I'll start my review by briefly summarising each chapter since there still isn't very much information about the book out there.

The first story introduces the setting of the game. The drama of the Battle of Sekigahara from the previous series has been replaced by Ashikaga Yoshiteru renouncing his status as shogun and plunging the country into war. As the news spreads across the land, Masamune, Mitsunari and the other warriors raise their armies and head out to fulfil their various ambitions. Since the purpose of this chapter is to allow Sakon to make his debut, the main theme is the Toyotomi army coming to terms with Ieyasu's departure.

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.

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!

Manga review: Sengoku Basara 4 Dengeki Comic Anthology

The Sengoku Basara 4 Dengeki Comic Anthology is a 132-page collection of manga based on the Sengoku Basara 4 setting and characters. It was originally released by ASCII Media Works in the Dengeki line on 25th April 2014, priced at ¥850, and it's still readily obtainable from all good online bookstores such as CD Japan, Yesasia and Amazon Japan. A Kindle version is also available.

With this being the very first anthology to feature the seven new Sengoku Basara 4 characters, it was a real treat for fans who want to see more of them in manga form (outside of the two series being serialised monthly in Dengeki Maoh). The regular cast members show up too, of course, but their roles are far smaller than those of the newcomers.

The cover depicting the game's four leads with antagonist Yoshiteru looming in the background was illustrated by Ayamura Kirihito. Sadly, it doesn't wrap around to the back of the book to depict the rest of the characters; I'd have loved to have seen them drawn in Ayamura's style as well. There are two additional colour illustrations on the first few pages: Satsuki Yuu has drawn an amusing picture of Shingen, Naotora and Yukimura, while Yamada Uiro presents a cool confrontation between Katsuie and Sakon. The pictures make for a stunning start to the book and really set the scene.

The rest of the anthology is made up of short manga.

Matsuri De Chouhan Shoubu ('A Chouhan Match at the Festival')
Ashika Nozomu
Sakon goes to visit the festival with the intention of speaking to Keiji and gathering information about Ieyasu. Not long after he arrives, however, Tsuruhime and Magoichi turn up and propose a gambling match, supposedly acting on Himiko's orders. It's a proposition that Sakon can't resist, but with all of the cheating going on it seems unlikely that his original mission will ever be a success...

Manga review: Mame Sengoku Basara volume 5

The fifth volume of Sumeragi's Mame Sengoku Basara ('Bean Sengoku Basara') manga was also its last; after these chapters were serialised the series ended its run in Dengeki Maoh magazine and was replaced by the new Mame Sengoku Basara 4 series.

The final chapters were collected in this book and released on 27th March 2014 by ASCII Media Works. There are nine chapters of the manga spread over 128 pages and priced at ¥780 before tax. Mame Sengoku Basara volume 5 can be purchased from import stores such as Yesasia, Amazon Japan (also on Kindle), CD Japan or Apple's iBooks Store.

I'll summarise the stories one by one, as is traditional.

The first chapter of this book is all about Keiji paying a visit to Tsuruhime. He's surprised to find the oracle isn't feeling too good and soon realises that she's lovesick over Kotarou. Keiji convinces Tsuruhime that the best way to deal with her feelings is to try writing a love letter for the mysterious ninja.

There are a few cute 4-panel comic strips with extra punchlines after this chapter as an added bonus.

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!

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.

Manga review: Sengoku Basara X (Cross) Official Anthology Comic

Today's manga review covers Sengoku Basara X (Cross) Official Anthology Comic, a manga anthology released way back on 13th September 2008. It's 112 pages long and priced at ¥950. Unlike most of the newer books, this one was published in-house by Capcom and is now long out of print. Used copies can be found cheaply at sites like Amazon Japan, and individual bookstores might still have old stock on their shelves.

With this being based on the PS2 beat 'em up game rather than the main series, the stories are arranged around one-on-one fights without any attempt to incorporate a coherent plot. Sadly, there are no extras or colour pages at all aside from the lovely cover drawn by Nari.

One thing that a collector will swiftly realise is that a great deal of the contributing artists are also regulars from the Gakuen Basara series. This means that as well as similarities in the artwork, the stories tend to be crazy too. I've written very brief summaries of each individual manga below.

Suriagehara [De Komando To] No Tatakai ('The Battle Of Suriagehara [With Button Commands]')
Yanagi Batoshirou
Masamune mocks Yukimura mercilessly as he struggles to learn how to use the new button inputs to perform moves in the game (Masamune's useless explanations are no help at all). Fortunately for Yukimura, it doesn't take long for Sasuke and Oyakata-sama to turn up and try to help him out.

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.

Manga review: Mame Sengoku Basara volume 4

The fourth volume of Sumeragi's Mame Sengoku Basara ('Bean Sengoku Basara') manga was released on 27th September 2013 by ASCII Media Works. It includes ten chapters spread over 128 pages priced at ¥780 (¥819 with taxes).

The physical edition is available online from import stores such as Yesasia, Amazon Japan or CD Japan; the Kindle version doesn't seem to have been released yet. It's worth mentioning too that a set of adorable character illustrations is included between the chapters. I don't think they were part of the series' original serialisation in Dengeki Maoh magazine, so they're a nice little bonus for readers of the books.

The first story in this volume of Mame Sengoku Basara is about Mitsunari. It's time to celebrate Tango No Sekku, the Japanese celebration better known today as Children's Day. Gyoubu presents Mitsunari with a huge Hideyoshi-shaped display, and the pair of them then set off on a trip to find a kabuto helmet grand enough to adorn Hideyoshi's head.

Along the way they encounter Kingo busily gobbling his way through traditional Children's Day snacks. Will his kabuto be suitable for Mitsunari's quest..?

Next, Sasuke and Yukimura rush to assist when they hear an anguished cry nearby. It turns out that it's only Kanbee moaning about his wretched fate as always, but that doesn't dampen Yukimura's eagerness to help. Unfortunately, Yukimura's enthusiastic support might be too much for the miserable Kanbee to handle.

Manga review: Sengoku Basara 3 Utage Comic Anthology

Sengoku Basara 3 Utage Comic Anthology was a 142-page manga anthology released by ASCII Media Works in the Dengeki Comics EX line on 27th January 2012. It costs ¥850 and can be purchased from all good import book stores and manga specialists such as Yesasia, Amazon Japan or CD Japan.

The content inside the book is all themed around the scenarios from the Sengoku Basara 3 Utage game, so characters who didn't appear don't show up here either outside of a few brief cameos. The list of contributors contains names pulled from all over the Sengoku Basara universe, and no less than a third of the pages is composed of 4-panel gag strips. That fits with the theme of the game, I suppose.

The cover illustration depicting the leads from both Sengoku Basara 3 and Sengoku Basara 3 Utage was drawn by Satsuki You. There's additional colour artwork inside from Kyuugou, Yuupon and Katagiri Ikumi. I particularly loved the Yuupon drawing showing Mitsunari and Ieyasu clashing with Hisahide in the background; it was a nice surprise back when I originally bought the book. Here are some very brief summaries of the standalone manga which follow the illustrations.

Inochi ('Life')
Sakura Maro
This manga tells Tenkai's story from the moment Hisahide took away his identity to his original encounter with the crybaby Kingo (via Sourin's unsuccessful attempt at recruitment). Though the story is told in a silly way the themes are still quite serious, so Sakura Maro ends the story with a few pages of 4-koma jokes about the female characters with the heading Oiroke Taiketsu ('Sexy Confrontation') to lighten the mood.

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.

Manga review: Mame Sengoku Basara volume 3

The third volume of Sumeragi's Mame Sengoku Basara 3 ('Bean Sengoku Basara 3') manga was released on 27th March 2013 by ASCII Media Works. The specification is the same as before with 126 pages for ¥780, however this time there are only eight chapters rather than the usual ten. It's available online from import stores such as Yesasia, Amazon Japan or CD Japan.

The first two-chapter story introduces Yoshiaki as he visits the Maeda base to carry out his plan to kidnap Matsu for the good of the Eastern army. He's swiftly overcome by her delicious cooking and his plan fails, so he decides to try again later. Unfortunately, by that time the ladies of Sengoku Basara 3 have all come to stay with the Maeda family. Though they look harmless when they're talking about romance and eating sweets together, appearances can be deceiving...

The setting then completely changes and has Yukimura visiting Hirotsuna with Sasuke and Mitsunari in tow. He's hoping that Hirotsuna will be able to teach him how to work with tigers. The two hit it off, but will Yukimura actually succeed in his quest?

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.

An incomplete list of character nicknames in Sengoku Basara

One of the many interesting things about the Sengoku Basara series is how much care the creators put into each character's dialogue. Every character consistently addresses the others (and themselves) in a particular way, which means you can often tell who spoke and who they were speaking to from written text without any context at all. This makes it quite challenging to translate; it's almost impossible to replicate the variety in the original script without resorting to obscure English expressions which sound very strange in a Japanese setting - such as Sasuke addressing Yukimura as 'Guv' rather than his usual 'Danna' in the English adaptation of the manga.

As a result of this careful attention to character interactions, many of the warriors in the games have attracted a number of nicknames over the last eight years. Some of these are based on names (and titles) used by the real-life historical figures; others are inventions used only in Sengoku Basara. And some are nothing more than in-jokes between fans.

In the west, new fans often seem to comment that it's very difficult to learn who all of the characters are. The nicknames don't help and there don't seem to be many resources in English to help people decipher them. I decided to try to put together a list of the most common ones - partly to be helpful, and partly because I was curious to see how many I could remember all by myself. The answer turned out to be 'a lot', though this list is far from complete, and doesn't even touch on honourifics or the multitude of personal pronouns the series employs.

Firstly, a list of nicknames for individual characters. It's hopefully obvious which of these are official in-game nicknames and which are jokes.

103-year-old 103歳
Motonari. A joke based on the age he would actually have been if he were at the Battle of Sekigahara.
Anaguma 穴熊
Kanbee. 'Badger'.
Aniki アニキ
Motochika. 'Older brother', but used more like the slang expression 'bro'.
Benmaru 弁丸
Yukimura. His real-life childhood name.
Bishamonten No Keshin 毘沙門天の化身
Kenshin. Literally 'Bishamonten incarnate'.

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.

Manga review: Sengoku Basara 2 Burning Soul

Original edition

It's time for a blast from the past!

Sengoku Basara 2 Burning Soul was a short manga which was originally serialised in Capcom's Basara Style fanbooks. Created by Akutagawa Akira, the complete series of five chapters was compiled into a single 160-page book along with two bonus stories. This was published under the Capcom Comics label on 3rd July 2008, priced at ¥735.

A smaller bunkoban edition (pictured below) was released on 28th January 2010 costing ¥500. This version seems to be out of print now - however, the original edition is still available from import stores such as Yesasia or Amazon Japan.

My copy of the manga is the original edition so this is what my review is based upon.

As the title and cover artwork suggest, Sengoku Basara 2 Burning Soul is one of the rare Sengoku Basara manga which features Sanada Yukimura as the main character. The plot is simple, starting off with one of the usual inconclusive clashes between the Takeda and Uesugi forces. There's an interlude where Keiji pays a visit to Kai and comes face to face with the 'young tiger' in an explosive fight, then the focus shifts back to Kawanakajima once again.