Your Name Limited Edition Review (Australian Version)

Finally, after over one year since it was released in Japan, Your Name came out on Blu-ray and DVD in November in Australia, distributed by Madman.  The Australia Your Name Limited Edition comes with both the Blu-ray and DVD copy of the movie, six art cards and a 130 page booklet.  Unlike the limited editions released in US or the various collector editions from Japan (with English subtitles too, so is import friendly), the Australian version comes with a lot less, which is disappointing, but is also cheaper as a result (A$60 RRP but if your timing is good, you can get it as low as A$40 a few days after release).

Packaging:

The Limited Edition comes in a really nice slip case, with the front cover showing off the core promotional artwork.

The back is the teaser artwork (which is the back perspective of the front cover) and it is printed in a reflective shiny film, making it hard to photograph but looks great.

There are two compartments, one is for the two discs and the other is for everything else.

The Movie and Special Features:

For the review of the movie, refer to this page.  Otherwise, the packaging containing the two discs is not your standard Blu-ray case (which is actually slightly disappointing).  The front cover uses an artwork that was seen on various posters during its theatrical run (and one of the most iconic and saddest scenes in the movie) but the back is the same artwork as the slip case.

The inside has the Australian Blu-ray cover artwork and the vibrant colors makes it look so nice.

Of course, the main thing are the discs containing the movies.  First off, the special features are disappointing.  At best, the vast majority of it is simply padding.  The following is a list of what you get on the discs:
- various Japanese promotional trailers
- the English trailer
- reel of other anime distributed by Madman
- the Makoto Shinkai Filmography Featurette
- Japanese TV special

The Makoto Shinkai Filmography Featurette sounds fancy but is nothing special since it just chronologically lists the various movies by Makoto Shinkai along with some trailer scenes.

The best extra and the only one worthwhile, is the Japanese TV special for promoting the film.  At 22 minutes long, the voice actors of Taki and Mitsuha talk about the themes of Makoto Shinkai's movies and what makes them so great.  They go to the real life locations of 5 Centimeters Per Second to show how the movie adapted the environment into the animation, and finally finishes off with a quick Q&A with Makoto Shinkai himself.  It was interesting and something new.  It really is a shame that Madman couldn't carry over some of the other numerous special features from the Japanese edition.

Both the Blu-ray and DVD contain the same extras but obviously the Blu-ray is higher quality at 1080p resolution.

Art Cards:

The Limited Edition contains six art cards, which is four more than the normal Blu-ray.  They look nice but nothing too amazing.

Booklet:

The chunkier aspect of the Limited Edition would be the 130 page booklet.  It is not so much an artbook than a proper book filled with contents such as cast interviews, staff interviews, promotional illustrations, pre-production sketches and a Q&A with Makoto Shinkai himself.  It was an interesting read since the text was translated into English and you get to see the thinking behind the initial concepts of the film and the decisions which were made to get what we saw in the final version.  Interspersed are still scenes from the throughout the movie, which makes it feel like a lot more effort has been put into this book than what you'd expect.  The book is hefty (and it is to the point where when you first pick up the Limited Edition, it's a lot heavier than what it looks like) and the paper used is high quality glossy paper.  The best part is that you glean so much more behind the film and all the detailed thinking that went behind it.

Below are some lower-quality sample pages of the booklet.

Overall:

Your Name is a fantastic movie and the reason you'll buy a physical copy whether it is on Blu-ray or DVD.  The Limited Edition is roughly 50% more expensive than just the movies themselves and you get an artbook, fancier packaging and some additional art cards.  Whether that is worth the premium is hard to say but the extras are great and the booklet interesting.  The only slight negative are the lack of meaningful special features if like me, you want to stay in the world of Your Name longer after you finished watching the movie.

-----------------------------------------------------

For reviews of other things, have a look at this page.

Beyond Eyes (PS4)

Beyond Eyes is what a lot of people would label as a "walking simulator".  It has limited storytelling and gameplay and thus is definitely not everyone's cup of tea.  The story is told via text that shows up on screen from time to time.  The general gist of it is that Rae, a young girl, was rendered blind by an accident.  In her despair, she encounters a cat who visits her regularly.  Naming him Nani, he doesn't return one day.  Rae steels her resolve and sets out into the world to find him.

Rae's blindness plays into the game as everything is white until you get close to it to reveal its nature via Rae's imagination, her memories of how things were and input from her sense of hearing, touch and smell.  In this aspect, it's a little bit like the first level of The Unfinished Swan, however, it can get confusing when you can't see far into your surroundings.  Sound also plays a visual element as you can "see" farther objects that are making sounds like seagulls when they are squawking.  A neat effect is the usage of the Dualshock 4's speaker so it feels more intimate and personal when you hear Rae's footsteps much closer to you than expected.

Scenery will morph around you as what you thought was one thing, will then dawn on you is another as Rae approaches it and gets a better idea of what it was.  Beyond Eyes has simple controls, the only gameplay is moving Rae, and a button to interact with certain objects.  The gameplay is so barebones that there is no tutorial and no handholding of any sort.  Rae's walking speed is terribly slow, which is frustrating.  It is understandable within the context of the game since Rae is blind, but as a player of a game, it just serves to artificially lengthen the game.

It doesn't help that Rae keeps getting blocked by obstacles, which makes the slow pace every slower.  While Rae will go through various environments such as suburban areas, forests and beaches, they are all boxed in, so even though the environment looks huge and brimming with exploration potential, it's actually very limited.  However, the revelation after you've explored everything and advanced the chapter in how these paths were interconnected is nifty.

The game likes to divert you on long detours, forcing you to walk a full wide circle to get to the place that was just a little bit ahead of you before, in order to get past an "obstacle".  There's not much interaction with objects, just a few predetermined ones linked to Trophies, such as feeding ducks and cows.  Beyond Eyes has a neat visual aesthetic, the game looks pretty and artwork-like.  The soft music matches the atmosphere perfectly.  Unfortunately, the game does not do enough to keep you emotionally invested for the majority of the game.  It is only the bittersweet ending that partially pulls the player back in.

It's a short game, with six chapters but lasting only 2-3 hours on the first playthrough with limited replay value, Beyond Eyes can feel a bit overpriced for what you get.  Overall, Beyond Eyes is a simple game and while the concept is good, the execution is bland and the major problem is the slow walking speed.  If Rae could walk a bit faster and not get caught against objects as often, then it would make the game more bearable.  As it is, it is relaxing and has some charm, but is a very average "game", since there's barely any gameplay or story, you really just play it for the atmosphere.

----------------------------------------------

For other game reviews, have a look at this page.

Toy Review: Transformers The Last Knight Sqweeks (Deluxe)

Review:  #416
Name:  Sqweeks
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Autobot
Line:  The Last Knight
Year of Release:  2017
Size Class:  Deluxe (Wave 2)
Mold Status:  new

VEHICLE MODE:

Sqweeks himself transforms into a blue moped.  It is painted to look old and with mud splatters, and this is a nice effect.

The two wheels roll, and there is a stand in the middle to keep it upright.

Due to the cargo trailer, this moped by itself is small and is approximately the size of a Legends toy, above is a comparison against Reveal the Shield Windcharger.

The cargo trailer attaches via a balljoint at the back and as a result of this, detaching it is tough.

The trailer has transparent wheels underneath to help it roll.  As the attachment is a balljoint, there's some side to side movement.

The big gun pegs on top of the trailer, whereas all the other accessories can store inside it.

With the trailer, Sqweeks is more in line with your typical Deluxe size.  Above is a comparison against AOE Scorn.

This is a strong solid mode with no flaws.

TRAILER:

A separate section for the trailer, it unfolds to reveal missile pods, a toolbox with Sqweeks' spare parts and a mechanical arm.

In alternate mode, the moped can rest on it like a repair bay.

The arm is articulated at various points and quite versatile as a result.

The missile pods are painted silver and can tilt up and down.

They can split apart and individually angle up or down.  They do not have any swivels though so cannot rotate to the sides.

Lastly, the toolbox opens up to reveal space to hold the spare arm, gun and the two handlebars.

TRANSFORMATION:

With the vastly different modes between the robot and the moped, you would have expected the transformation to be complex.  Surprisingly, it is not and this is because it's quite clever as a result.  The head is hidden in the seat and then the whole thing collapses with the front to form the torso.  It's elegant and impressive.

ROBOT MODE:

Sqweeks' robot mode is surprisingly accurate to the model seen in the film, right down to the handlebars for arms (which unfortunately is additional pieces that you attach after transformation, the only letdown).

However, he does carry a huge backpack behind him which is where most of the moped lies.  The stand helps keep Sqweeks upright in this mode.

The head is actually comprised of various pieces, one for the helmet (with accurate broken gap on top), one for the eye lens and then one for behind the lens.  It can still rotate side to side but limited range.

Sqweeks is a bit of a partsformers since his "hands" has to be attached separately.  They are all made of soft plastic and you get two handlebars, a big arm and a big gun.

Poseability is understandably limited.  There's not much you can do with the "legs" (i.e. wheels), and his arms are too short to have any sort of meaningful articulation for dynamic poses.

In terms of size, he is very short in this mode, which suits the character fine, it's expected since half of the toy is in the trailer.

The trailer can actually attach to Sqweeks' back to give him a pair of overhead missiles and a jetpack, not too shabby looking.

The big arm has a 5mm fist which you can attach the big gun to or any other weapon.

Unfortunately, the big gun is too heavy for his arm to properly hold up for anything other than a short amount of time.

Otherwise, you can attach the gun directly onto the arm.

Any pieces not used can be kept within the trailer.

Sqweeks has a unique robot mode for sure, although it is definitely not to everyone's tastes.

OVERALL:

Sqweeks model has the already unfortunate characteristic of an unusual design (as expected from the film series), however, the designer has done a commendable job in translating it into a physical toy.  It is screen accurate in both modes and the transformation is clever without being complicated.  The trailer transforming into a base is awesome and heaps of fun, which ends up allowing the figure to be filled with play value.

---------------------------------------------

For other Transformers reviews, have a look at this page.

Book Review: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Vol. 3

Review:  #701
Title:  Phoenix Wright:  Ace Attorney Vol. 3
Series:  Phoenix Wright:  Ace Attorney - 3rd volume
Author:  Kenji Kuroda
Read Before:  no
Comments:  The third volume carries the whole subplot of which Phoenix and Maya goes to a fortune telling booth, and ends up witnessing yet another murder.  It is once again a locked room murder and the hook is figuring out how the real murderer managed to pull it off, given you know that the initially accused is framed.  The sequence of events from the investigation, first part of the trial and then the part where Phoenix has a brainwave and turns the whole thing around is predictable, but doesn’t make it any less engaging.  The characters are wacky and the courtroom doesn’t seem to take itself seriously at times.  Once the way the murder was done was revealed, it didn’t feel anything too special and was a bit too convenient.  The artwork is really nice though and at least Phoenix isn’t facing off Edgeworth yet again.

Rating:  6.5/10

The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)

The Place Promised in Our Early Days has a fantastic premise that while isn't fully explained in the beginnings of the film, once it does, it fascinates you.  Taking place in an alternate history where Japan was split into two after World War II, one occupied by the Union and the other half by the USA, a strange tower is built.  Eventually, it is revealed that the parallel universes exists and the tower is replacing matter around it with matter from other universes.  This really takes a backseat since the film focuses on three middle school students, as they spend their summer building an aeroplane to approach the tower.  Unfortunately, the story ends up becoming a sort of a mess since it doesn't convey the thoughts and feelings of each of the characters in ways that flesh it out, thus making their actions confusing.  The middle of the film dragged on to what seemed like an eternity, with bad pacing and sequencing of events.  Not even the melancholy yet hopeful ending, could save the plot as you're left wondering what the aftermath of everything would be like.