TV series : Beauty of Resilience (2023)

 

trailer 

Ending song 

It's been a very very long time since last time I post in this blog. Suddenly, I just feel like I want to post something. Previously I find series that I quite enjoy. The series is Beauty of Resilience (花戎) It was broadcasted on IQIYI and have 36 episodes. This is Xianxia story. For people who don't know xianxia, it is popular literary genre that blends elements of fantasy, martial arts, and immortality. 

This drama is adapted from the popular Xianxia novel "The Mistaken Eternal Life" by Lin Jiacheng. It tells the magnificent Xianxia story of Wei Zhi (played by Ju Jingyi), the female protagonist who is reincarnated as a phoenix, and Yan Yue (played by Guo Junchen), the male protagonist who is the Sun God. They go through hardships and finally break the destiny of how the "phoenix nirvana will shake the three worlds" and rewrite their own Xianxia story together. 

I have watched all the episodes and really enjoy it. The story is your typical xianxia in which there is element of forbidden love, but it is not heavy series. The setting is quite nice and the story is enjoyable, especially for Guo Junchen and Ju Jingyi fans. The story revolved around 3 realms (heaven realm, human realm, and demon realm). Unlike your typical xianxia, there is not much tension between heaven realm and demon realm. So, the story is not littered with fighting. 

I like the early school arc. It is quite nice and not draggy. The other arc I also like is the mortal arc. Some people do not like this arc, but I enjoy it. I enjoy Chen Yan character more than Yan Yue. Guo Junchen acting here really shines. Ju Jingyi is also better as Wang Yue than Wei Zhi. What stand out the most for me, is the acting and the music. Love the actors acting and beautiful song. 

The ending is an open ending. But for me, it is happy ending. 

Despite the good, the story could have been better with longer episodes to flesh out some things and better editing. But overall, I really recommend this story for Xianxia lovers or people who want to try Xianxia genre. 

For people who want to watch this series in Viki, can use this form to request https://support.viki.com/hc/en-us/articles/360034633713

Rating : 9 of 10

Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : Silicon Dream

 

trailer 

Dear All, 

Now I would like to review another good Sci Fi interrogation game. The last time I play quite similar game is Eliza and another game (but I forget the name). I really like this kind of game because I always want to become investigator. Sounds very interesting until .... I play this game. I don't want to spoil it, you will know what I mean when you play it. Let's get to it. 

Silicon Dream is a game in which you are Android but an advanced one. Your job is to investigate deviant Android and make decision what to do with them. Each decision you make have their own consequences. This game have multiple ending depend on your decision. To be honest, I only play for one ending because I don't like the other ending, even though I can see why other people will like it. 

The game is quite simple. You only need to understand how it works for the first time and it will be the same for the rest of the case. It is very simple and user friendly. Unfortunately, the art is simple, there's no voice, and the sound is very standard. It is also quite short. Really hope it would be longer though. Maybe that's why the developer don't allow us to save the game. Because of that, you have to play it from the beginning if you want to make different decision. 

Overall, I recommend this game for people who love interrogation style game. It is simple and light. So it won't take much time. 

Rating : 7.5 of 10 stars. 

Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : 9-Nine episode 4

 

Dear All, 

It has been one year since I play 9-Nine episode 4. I have been waiting this game for a long time since I last play 9-Nine episosde 3. I really like it so much because they incorporate us the player as one of the character in the game. The last time I play this kind of game is Ever 17. Now let's get to this amazing game. There will be little spoiler in this review though. 

Personally I really recommend you to play 9-Nine episode 1, 2, and 3 before playing this to understand the story better because this game continue directly from 9-Nine episode 3. You will use "Overlord" from the start to try kill Iris, unlike the previous games, before starting Noa route. I will say that I really like how they incorporate chart to manifest "Overlord" power, especially near the end. 

Noa route is a little different than previous route because we already use "Overlord" power to change things so things move faster than previous 9-Nine episodes. Because of that, there are many surprise and twist in this game. 

The characters are still the same and very lovely. The music has become better since I think there are few cool music to hype the situation, especially I really like "The pea conflict" and "Zepto earnesT". The art style has become better too. I just feel like that. The voice acting is as awesome as before. Overall, there is improvement from previous episodes. But the best part is the story and ending. I am amazed with the ending. It is much better than my expectation. Really remind me about Ever 17 ending. I really hope that more and more games incorporate the player as character because it was really amazing. Of course, it could have been better but for me it's already quite perfect. 

I really recommend this game for visual novel lovers or any readers because this game really has amazing story, art, and sound. You won't be disappointed. I hope developer will make another great game like this. From what I know, there will be short after story to really complete the ending. Cannot wait for it. 

Rating : 10 of 10

Best Regards, 
Angela

Game Review : Royal Alchemist

 

Dear All, 

It has been a long time since I last my post. Now it's 2021. Hopefully this year, things will become much better. As usual, I would like to review one of the best otome games that I play. It is Royal Alchemist. Basically this is not only your usual otome games because it also involve stat raising to achieve the best ending. Otherwise, you will be dead a lot. Luckily, the more you dead, the stronger you are or your stats exactly. 

This game tell a story about royal intrique. There's assassination, conspiracy, and intrique in the palace. You are member of High Council (Mage and Alchemist independent organization) and also the scion of well known Rosenkrauz clan. You were tasked with assignment to tutor the 3 royal princes in Eskia. In this game, you can play as man or woman. I really love the choice since I prefer my MC as male. In a sense, this is also a BL game. Fortunately, it's not big deal in the story for male to male dating. So it feels less awkward. 

The story itself is very good. I really like it, especially the mystery. The choice in the story influence the moods. So, it's a good thing. There are 3 dating characters that we can choose with 8 endings. There are romantic endings and friendship endings. It's a plus for people who doesn't like romance. The characters are likable. I really like MC personality especially in the ending. Unfortunately some supporting characters lack personality. The music itself is quite average and there's also no voice acting (understandable to save the budget). Still there's some songs I really like and I commend developer to choose those amazing songs. The visuals are amazing. Really love it. The stat raising part is interesting. It is not too difficult to make people frustrated (maybe because I choose the easy mode). But quite challenging for perfectionist players. Since I really love this game, I play it all day and sacrifice my weekend. And the end result....it's worth it. 

Overally, I really like this game. I hope the developers will make another great game like this one. I recommend this game for otome lovers and visual novel lovers. 

Rating : 9 of 10 stars

Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : 9-Nine Episode 3

 

9 Nine Episode 3 Opening

Dear All, 

It's been sometimes since I last finish playing visual novel game. Now I would like to review another episodic game from 9-Nine. Now it was the third part. For me, this is the best part among the three. Let's get to it. I will try to do my best to avoid spoiler but I am afraid it's difficult to avoid any spoiler at all. 

This story continue from the first episode from 9-Nine game and a little of second episode. Why ? Well, you will know when you play the first and second episode. For the third episode, the heroine is Haruka aka (Queen of Eden). In this episode you will know much more than previous episode like Haruka power, Kakeru artefact, real antagonist, and our role in it (well, for people who have played Ever 17 and Remember 11 will know what I mean). A little surprising but intriquing I guess. It's been a long time since I play game with breaking the 4th wall. Anyway, we get to know more about the characters and for the first time about Yoichi real psyche and Sophitia real identity. 

Once again like its predecessor, the graphic and voice acting is top notch. No wonder, I feel Renya Takamine voice so alluring. It was voiced by the famous Tomokazu Sugita. But I also like Kakeru Nimi voice since it was voiced by Atsushi Abe (also voiced Camel in Tokyo Babel). The story has been progressing well after slow start in episode 1 and 2. From what I heard about episode 4 and watching its trailer, it looks very amazing. 

Overall, I really recommend this episode for 9-Nine game lovers and people who like Chuni visual novel or just any people who like story with magic. Really hope Sekai Project will launch Episode 4 soon and the developer will make episode 5. Hopefully, the developer will bundle this into one big game instead of selling it per episode after the game has been completed. 

Rating : 9 of 10 stars. 

Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : Oblivious Garden ~ Carmina Burana ~

opening

Trust me once more

Conflict

Dear All, 

Now I would like to review another game. Yes, it's not a long time since my last review. I feel like my love for visual novel have come back little by little. Hopefully I can keep it so. Anyway, today review is another lovely game called Oblivious Garden ~ Carmina Burana ~. It is a game published by Digital EZ. I think this is my first time playing game published by Digital EZ. Because of that, I don't have high expectation. Anyway, the game is quite lovely. 

The game is about hero who was exiled by his emperor because of his failure to defeat the enemy. After 3 years, the emperor give him another chance to redeem his failure by going to the garden to prepare for miracle play. In this place, he meet with 3 princess and so the story begin. Anyway, first I have to say that I am quite surprise with the voice acting. This is my first time playing visual novel with Chinese voice acting and it is quite lovely. I really like most of the voice especially princess Leira and Marian. I can feel the emotion. 

The art itself is nothing extraordinary but still nice one. You can say that it is quite simple. The song is also quite good and fitting with the theme. Personally I quite like instrumental "conflict" because it's different from ordinary visual novel song. Like many visual novel, it has some route that you better follow in order not to get spoiled with the story. My route is Lin, Leira, and Dyanna. There's another route with is Finn (the maid) (to be honest I don't play it). One nice addition with the game is making tea mini game. I don't know why but it's quite refreshing to be able to make lovely tea for the princess and being praised for it. Just make sure you find the recipe and make S rank tea. 

Anyway, as with many visual novel the story is the most important aspect. I have to say that it can be much better if it was not too fast in the beginning, especially Lin route. I feel like there should be an explanation or rapport first. It is unrealistic that all princess can share their secrets and inner feeling with the hero after just several days. The ending is also quite anti climax which is a disappointment (to be fair many visual novel also make anti climax ending). Fortunately some mystery was explained later in the game. Still it will be much better if there was good pace and good plot. Anyway, this is quite short visual novel so it doesn't take much time. Hopefully there will be more and more visual novel with Chinese voice acting. More choice is always better for visual novel industry. 

Overall, I recommend this game for people who like to try light visual novel with Chinese voice acting and simple but enjoyable story. 

Rating : 7.5 of 10 stars

Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : Steam Prison

opening

Distant home (tittle theme)

Dear All, 

It's been some time since my last post. Now I would like to make review about another lovely otome game. My last otome game is Cinderella Phenomenon. I really love it. This other otome game is also very good. The game is Steam Prison. 

Otome game is one genre of visual novel in which the female protagonist will romance one of several male characters in the game. Usually, they have route order that you better follow in order not to spoil the story. This is also the same case with Steam Prison. 

The story is about female protagonist (that you can name her first name) who live in The Heights. The Heights are a gorgeous utopia. But there are also another world in The Depths, a filthy industrial wasteland. The heroine has nothing but contempt for the The Depths until she was sent into the Depths. 

First I would like to say that I really like the story. The idea of two world is a big sell for me. I mean just based on the summary, you can feel that it is quite interesting. With addition of great art, music, and voice acting, it was a big treat for whomever playing this game. The story is simple and yet deep at the same time. Of course, it could have been better but it is still much better than many visual novel game. I really like most characters except maybe the female protagonist. It's not that I hate her but she is quite shallow I think compare to other characters. Even the bad guy is still better than her. Character I like the most is Ulrik. He is childish but also dependable at the same time. I cannot help but want to tease him most of the time. 

The music is also quite suitable for the game. Of course, there are more games with better music but I think this is also quite good considering the theme and the story. For the music, I really like The route order that I recommend is Eltcreed, Ulrik, Adage, Ines, Yune, and then grand ending. Otherwise, you will get spoiled with the story. The best route, of course is grand ending in which everyone (except the bad guy) have happy ending and the closure to their own problems. It makes sense that you have to complete all the ending first before being able to play grand ending because many mysteries only get answered in normal ending. So, it doesn't get addressed again in grand ending. Still I think some questions remain. 

I really recommend this game for people who like otome game with good story. Even if you don't like otome, I still recommend that visual novel lovers try this game for the story. 

Rating : 8 of 10 stars

Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : Rewrite

Opening 1

Opening Moon Route

Rewrite Scattered Flowers Ost

Dear All,

I hope you don't get bored with me. Now I would like to review one of the saddest visual novel that I've played. The game is Rewrite. This is one of best visual novel out there. This game is from developer Key, famous for its sad story, like Clannad, Air, Little Busters, etc. Now let's get to it.

The story is about Kotarou Tennouji. He is young high school student living in Kazamatsuri City. City famous for its ecological system. Unbeknownst to Kotarou, there is deep secret in this city that will engulfed him and threatened the world future.

To be honest, I already want to play this game from a long time ago. But the game play make me hesitant (even though the prologue is quite nice) and after that I kind of playing another game. So I ignore it for a while. I am glad though at last I managed to finish this great game. This game is one of the best that I've played and I am not only talking about the story but also the side quest. I mean it makes the SOL more interesting and less boring than your usual SOL. It's quite funny, especially with 108 friends (I believe it's not coincidence). 

The premise of the story is very interesting and touching, especially the moon route. I really like moon route so much compare to common route, heroine route, or terra route. The ending really breaks your heart (remind me about Muv Luv alternative ending so much). The characters are also very great. I really like most characters except the true bad guy. The story doesn't even try to make us like her so don't feel bad if you don't like her and don't even care about her. I really like Sakuya characters. I mean yes he is quite annoying at first but at the end, you really care about him so much. His ending is the most satisfying one for me.

The graphic is very good. It is "livelier" than Tokyo Babel. And I also like some of the songs especially Scattered Flowers. It really touch my heart. There are many quests in the game. But don't feel that you have to finish all of them. It's up to you to enjoy the game. I don't finish all the quest, hence I don't get Oppai ending. It looks like a funny ending though. The voice acting is quite good. There are some big names seiyuu, like Masakazu Morita, Chiwa Saito, Kana Hanazawa, Katsuyuki Konishi, etc. I really like Kotori voice. It's quite unique. Now, the most important aspect of the game is the story. I can say that the story is very satisfying. It is deep and touching. You can see that this is big project and they spare no expense to make it successful. Unfortunately, some part of the story is unimportant. I mean they should just skip it and just focus into the relationship. And I will be honest Terra route ending is quite disappointment. It's not bad, in fact it's painfully beautiful. It just lack of "miracle factor" that you expect from this kind of story. 

Anyway, there is anime for this game. Fans of this game are lucky because there are many great visual novel that don't even get adapted into the anime. But from what I heard the anime is a disappointment. Well, it's not surprising. It's not easy to adapt visual novel after all especially with many routes. So, if you are not visual novel lovers, you can just watch the anime. 

Overall, I really like this game. I recommend this game people whom like to read sad story. I mean it's really sad. So, prepare your tissue, especially for moon route. 

Rating : 9 of 10 stars. 

Regards, 

Angela

Game Review : Shadow of Pygmalion

as time goes by

Dear All, 

I hope you don't get bored with my post. Since I am working from home now, I can play the game while working. What does it mean ??? It means that I can finish my games more quickly this way. Anyway, now I would like to review another game from Propeller. The name is Shadow of Pygmalion. Maybe some of you already know what Pygmalion means. Pygmalion is myth in which sculpture become human. Like Tokyo Babel, this game is very interesting for people who like myth or legend. Anyway unlike Tokyo Babel, this game is Yuri so you have been warned but don't worry it's not graphic. If you can tolerate Fatal Twelve then you can tolerate this one too.

Shadow of Pygmalion is game about doll. Yes you don't read it wrong. It's about doll from the beginning until the end. Of course there are also human in the game. Basically, doll in this world is like God or something like that. They are supposed to be better than human because they are divine. One day, our main protagonist Hajiro Mina stumbled into doll mansion. Unbeknownst to her, her aura resonate with "Eidos" Ruka. She was "forced" to make contract with her to choose the new "God" to rule the world. And then Mina life changed forever. 

Even though Tokyo Babel and Shadow of Pygmalion came from the same developer, it has quite different style and game play. The story itself is quite interesting. If you like Tokyo Babel, I suggest you try this game. For me, I prefer Tokyo Babel for its mystery and deep layer. I am not saying that Shadow of Pygmalion is not deep, it just different. But, I can understand some people will prefer this game because it has its own charm. The structure of the story is quite different too. The story has multiple route and the choice happen near the end, unlike Tokyo Babel where you choose your route in the beginning. 

For the graphic, it is very good. If Tokyo Babel is quite smooth and modern with its graphic, Shadow of Pygmalion is quite artistic and classic. Both are treat for the eyes. The music itself is quite good but nothing outstanding except for the opening and one or two instrumental that I really like. I can see they choose the opening song carefully. Overall, the music is quite average for game with Shadow of Pygmalion calibre. Like Tokyo Babel, Shadow of Pygmalion also use many well known seiyu. Therefore, have no doubt that the voice acting is amazing. No wonder the price is quite expensive but it's worth it. 

Last but not least, the characters, I will be honest, I like characters in Shadow of Pygmalion more than Tokyo Babel. If Tokyo Babel is like one big gun, then Shadow of Pygmalion is like several machine gun. The characters support each other and make its better than if it on its own. Characters that I really like is Yang and Reika. I mean they are more than what I imagined. The others also very good and has its charm. I can relate with them and understand why they did what they did. As much as I like Shadow of Pygmalion, certainly it can be better. Like what I said before, the story is good but unfortunately the ending is quite lacking. It's anti climax. You can say it was predictable. It doesn't help that it lacks "true antagonist". Some questions also were left unanswered. It feels like developer change its mind in the middle of story. 

I recommend this game for people who like Tokyo Babel. It also has yuri and chunige at the same time. An interesting combination I must say. Better than Fatal Twelve yuri combination. 

My rating : 8 of 10 stars

Regards, 

Angela

Pendosa

Petir menggelegar di malam hari
Hujan deras mengguyur kota
Hantaman petir yang mengagetkan semua insan
Alarm mobil yang tiada hentinya berdengung
Ada yang sadar..
Ada pula yang sudah terlelap dalam mimpinya..
Guntur ini bisa dianggap sebuah petanda
Petunjuk bahwa semesta sedang murka
Atas kelalaian dan ketidakpedulian manusia
Manusia-manusia yang terhanyut pada drama kehidupan
Kehidupan yang berisi suratan takdir yang tak bisa dipahami
Setiap makhluk hanya menjalani isi buku kehidupannya masing-masing
Takdir memang tak dapat dihindari
Akan tetapi manusia masih diberi kesempatan untuk memilih
Berbagai pilihan untuk bereaksi terhadap kehidupan ini
Ada yang sudah nyaman menjadi pendosa
Pendosa cerdik yang membuat semuanya menjadi indah
Akan tetapi hitam tidak dapat bercampur dengan putih
Suatu saat setiap makhluk akan dihakimi termasuk para pendosa
Sudah siapkah engkau?




~Selene