Hot Japanese Imports Review: Coropata for DS

Section: Reviews, Exclusives, Originals, Features, Columns, Japanese Imports, Handhelds, DS & DSi & DSi XL, Game-Companies, Developers, Publishers, Genres, 2D, Puzzle

Title: Coropata
Price: Around ¥5,000 (~$60)
System(s): DS
Release Date: December 24, 2009
Publisher (Developer): LukPlus (LukPlus)
ESRB Rating: N/A, “Cero A” for All Ages
Pros: Great animation, almost 130 levels included, can download extra levels from the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, quite adorable and you don’t really need to understand Japanese to play.
Cons: Exact precision is needed, sometimes even in early levels, which may make it too difficult for some people. Most puzzles really only have one solution. You must complete a level to proceed.
Overall Score: 9/10

One of the best kinds of import games is a puzzle game, because language isn’t really a barrier. Yes, it may show up in the story mode or in level descriptions, but for the most part you’re fine as long as you have a general idea of what you need to accomplish in each stage. Coropata is a perfect example. It has a cute little story and premise, but you don’t really need to think about that while you play. All you really need to do is put together a Rube Goldberg device to help a blue-haired little girl named Himawari get from point A to point B.

Special radish delivery!

Himawari hates radishes. She despises everything about them. Which means she’s in quite a bit of trouble because her mother has a literal ton of radishes at home. Himawari obviously isn’t going to help eat them, so instead she’s going to get rid of them any way possible. She decides to go around her entire neighborhood, delivering these vile vegetables to people she knows so she doesn’t get stuck having to eat any of them.

Think of Coropata as Japan’s take on The Incredible Machine. Each level begins with a set up area and a few objects that you are able to place. You must arrange things correctly, then start the level and hope Himawari is able to make it to the person waiting for her at the end.

Indirectly guiding a temperamental little girl requires precise object placement.

First of all, Coropata looks adorable. It’s one of the cutest games to come out of Japan, and features characters that look similar to the ones that appeared in Kumatanchi. (Except these characters aren’t animal-human hybrids.) The animation is fluid and all of the sprites, for both people and objects, are quite detailed. In addition, there are plenty of levels to keep players occupied. There are 128 stages immediately available, plus you can head onto the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to download more.

It’s especially interesting how LukPlus factored in Himawari’s emotions. There are certain objects you can place in levels that can alter her disposition. You can make her trip to make her mad or give her treats to make her happy. This, in turn, affects how she interacts with other objects in the game. In order to complete a level, you may have to take actions to make sure she’s exceptionally happy or mad.

The only downside is, Coropata knows no mercy. It’s an unforgiving game and may leave players frustrated even on early levels. I was stuck for almost an hour on only the third level, because I couldn’t place the two items correctly to make a bridge drop for Himawari to walk across. I was flumoxed twice more, on the 15th and 16th levels. I had the game for two weeks before I finally reached level 30. So you have to know going in that this game is going to try your patience. If you don’t place the items you’re given at the start of a level perfectly, you aren’t going to get to move on to the next level.

Interesting and frustrating

It’s a good thing Himawari and Coropata are so cute, because otherwise it’d be responsible for many thrown DS units. The game has high expectations for its players and demands perfection. Anything less, and you’ll be forced to repeat the same level over. And over. And over. Once you do figure it out though, you’re overcome by satisfaction and you really feel like you’ve earned the right to proceed through the game. It’s also an ideal import game, because you really don’t need to understand Japanese to make it through the game. It’s all about helping Himawari reach the person in each level, and using trial and error to find out the best way to do so.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Hot Japanese Imports talks about Idea Factory.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week talked about Nendoroids.

Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

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Hot Japanese Imports: Nendoroids

Section: Exclusives, Originals, Features, Columns, Japanese Imports, Gear, Figures & Toys

One of the many things gamers love about Japan is all of the awesome figurines that are made there. Among the cutest and most recognizable of said figures are the Nendoroids. These super deformed (chibi) versions of iconic characters are delightful to look at and friendly for any collector, since their appearance allows them to be enjoyed by people of all ages. Plus, they have quite a bit of personality, despite their small stature.

So this week, Hot Japanese Imports is all about the Nendoroids. I’ll tell you what they are, suggest a few specific models you may want to check out and offer up some links to reputable places that sell them. After that, it’s up to you. It’s not like I’m going to actually buy them for you! They’re expensive and I have an otome collection to maintain!

What are Nendoroids?

Basically, they’re cute but pricey figurines from the Good Smile Company. There are two different varieties of Nendoroids. The standard Nendoroids are usually around four inches tall. They are miniature, chibi versions of anime, manga and video game characters designed to be posed and displayed. Each one usually comes with a few extra parts, like faces or limbs, so you can mix and match to change their appearances. They may also come with little accessories, to add extra character. The Good Smile Company also creates and sells background sets. You can pick these up if you want to have specific scenes on your desk. Some people even buy the background sets so they can organize little photo shoots of their figurines.

The other variety is a less expensive Nendoroid Petit. These are also sometimes called Nendoroid Puchi. They’re about half the size of a standard Nendoroid and less expensive. These also have moveable limbs, but may not come with lots of extra faces or parts. Instead, they may come in a set, so you can have a couple Nendoroid Petits for the price of a single Nendoroid.

There’s also a fairly new line of Nendoroids called Nendoroid Plus Plushies. As you can tell from the name, they’re stuffed toys that are chibi-versions of popular characters. They’re quite cute and huggable, really, but the I’m sure cuddling them would probably hurt their collectable value.

If you’re looking to start collecting Nendoroids and you’re reading this, odds are you’re a gamer. Here are a few Nendoroids you may want to look up and consider buying. I mentioned the prices too, in case you’re actually serious about buying!

• Miku Hatsune: Absolute HMO Edition Nendoroid – ¥4,000 (~$50)
• Flandre Scarlet (Touhou Project) – ¥3,000 (~$35)
• Archbishop (Ragnarok Online) – ¥3,500 (~$40)
• Manaka Takane (Love Plus) – ¥3,500 (~$40)
• Saber: Super Movable Edition (Fate/stay Night) – ¥4,000 (~$50)
• Raspberyl (Disgaea 3 – ¥3,500 (~$40)
• Lucky Star x Street Fighter Nendoroid Petite Set – ¥2,800 (~$30)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week offered five Valentine’s Day gift suggestions..

Site [Good Smile Company] Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

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Hot Japanese Imports: 5 quick Valentine’s Day import gift suggestions

Section: Exclusives, Originals, Features, Columns, Gift Guide, Japanese Imports, Gear, Accessories, Comics-and-Graphic-Novels, Figures & Toys, Gear-Other, Ads & Media, TV, Home Video

Surprise! I know, this week’s column was supposed to be about Nendoroids, but don’t worry. We’ll look over those cute little figurines next week. Since Valentine’s Day is Monday, I figured it would be more appropriate to offer a little list minute list of possible import-ish gift suggestions that you can give your special someone this year.

Now, since overseas shipping probably isn’t an option at such a late date like this, almost all of the gift suggestions below should be available in a specialty store near you. I may toss in an online shopping option if there’s an expedited shipping option so you could probably have the gift arrive by February 14, 2011.

1: Manga

Translated shojo manga can make a great gift, and not just for women. There are a lot of guys who enjoy romantic dramas or comedies too. Best of all, they’ll be easy to find since both Barnes and Noble and Borders both carry a wide selection of series. You could probably even find and order some from Amazon and have them delivered by Monday.

Here are a few series you may want to check out. Perhaps buy the first volumes of two or three of them, put them in a pink or red gift bag with a sappy card and deliver it to your special someone. Since I’m a sucker for this kind of manga, I’m recommending my personal favorites.

• Chobits – Technically, it’s a Seinen manga. It’s romantic and sweet, with a few perverted moments.
• Fruits Basket – It doesn’t start getting romantic until about halfway through the series, but it’s a classic and a good read.
• Kimi ni Todoke – This series practically makes me cry with each volume. It’s sweet, sappy and incredibly melodramatic.
• Ouran High School Host Club – Like Fruits Basket, it takes a while to get romantic. It’s a nice, funny and lighthearted series.
• Paradise Kiss – Again, another funny shojo series. Just don’t expect an typical shojo ending.

2: Anime DVD box sets

Anime could also make a good Valentine’s Day gift, especially if you go for shojo, romances, dramas or romantic comedies. The best part is, with an anime DVD gift, you can watch the series together as a couple! That, and that they’re really easy to find. Borders, Best Buy and Amazon all carry box sets, so you should have no trouble finding a good series to buy and wrap up before Monday.

Again, I’m going with some personal shojo anime recommendations here.

• Boys Over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango) – The art style is a little dated, but this is a great series. I’d recommend the manga too, but it’s a 36 volume series so it’s best to go with the anime adaptation.
• Fruits Basket – Okay, so there’s really no romance in the anime adaptation, but it’s still adorable.
• Honey & Clover – This is a bittersweet romance/slice of life series following a group of high school friends. It’s great if the person you know loves dramas.
• Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances – It offers a funny, sweet and somewhat realistic look at high school romance. Plus, it was done by Gainax!
• Ouran High School Host Club
• Princess Tutu – With all the hype over Black Swan, it seems only appropriate that the ballet-fairytale Princess Tutu gets some love too. Don’t let the sappy name fool you, this is a seriously awesome series. Don’t bother with the manga though – it doesn’t compare.

3: Plushies

Stuffed toys of video game or anime characters are a perfect option, especially since every tends to associate plushies with Valentine’s Day anyways. If you head to your local Borders store, you should be able to see some cute little stuffed Domo-kun toys. F.Y.E. stores tend to have a fairly large anime section, with stuffed toys from series like Bleach, Naruto, Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog tossed back there. If you head to your local Toys R Us, you may even be able to find a Pokemon Throw Poke Ball from Jakks Pacific, which comes with a pokeball with a stuffed Piplup or Pichu inside! You may want to be careful with that last one though – if he or she doesn’t like the gift, it might get thrown at you.

If you’re living in the US, then you may want to hurry over to the Video Game Plush website. They have a Second Day shipping option that will get your order to you in 1-2 business days. You could have a stuffed Kirby, white Pikmin, Link or Chocobo in your loved one’s hands by Valentine’s Day. 

4: Flavored Kit-Kats

If you have an Asian grocery store near your house, you may want to stock up on flavored Kit-Kats to include with your Valentine’s Day gift. I recently stopped by Mitsuwa Plaza in Arlington Heights, IL, and found green tea flavored Kit-Kat bars that are absolutely delightful. For some unknown reason, Japan happens to get some rather unique Kit-Kat flavors that aren’t released in North America, which means they make an awesome little gift to include with presents. If you can find it, the caramel flavored Kit-Kats are also quite good.

The rose or red wine flavored Kit-Kat would probably be most appropriate, but both can be very difficult to find outside of Japan without importing. The same can be said for the raspberry passion fruit Kit-Kats that sometimes appear in Japan in February. If all else fails, you can always try to hunt for strawberry shortcake Kit-Kats – at least they’ll be the right color for the holiday!

If you really want a special flavor and want to risk it, you can always try ordering from napaJapan. They have a great selection of Japanese Kit-Kats and, if you choose the EMS shipping option, you might actually receive it by Valentine’s Day.

5: Jewelry

This one is going to cost you and is the one case where your item won’t arrive anywhere near. Seriously, prepare yourself for sticker shock. Square Enix’s Online Shop carries jewelry inspired by games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest . You can find necklaces, rings and earrings that would make any gamer girl or boy squeal with delight. The catch is, it’s all very expensive. The cheapest thing I saw was the FFX Tidus’ Earring for $51.99 and the most expensive item was FFXIII Serah’s Engagement Pendant for $249.99. Now, before you scoff and say no one would actually pay that kind of money for a necklace like that, let me also point out that the replica of Serah’s necklace is actually sold out at the moment. (You can still get FFXIII Snow’s Pendant for $229.99 though!)

If you don’t mind cheaping out a bit, you can always head o the keychain section
at the Square Enix Online Shop and pick up something for $19.99. That really isn’t an option though, as you have to buy over $23 worth of merchandise for the store to even process your order.

Look at it this way! If you’re a guy, you can choose this option, order a gift for your wife or girlfriend and then say you’ll give it to her on White Day (March 14, 2011). If they know anything about Japanese culture, they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Hot Japanese Imports talks about Nendoroids – for real this time!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week talked about UVERworld.

Site [UVERworld] Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

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Japan Import: Pro Baseball Famista 2011 has lots of Namco Bandai character cameos

Section: Gaming News, Features, Japanese Imports, Handhelds, 3DS, Game-Companies, Developers, Publishers, Genres, 3D, Sports

Aside from entries in the Madden series, most video games tend to be released without a lot of fanfare. Namco Bandai’s Pro Baseball Famista 2011 isn’t going to be one of those games. For the most part, this 3DS baseball game is pretty standard. You pick a team and play through multiple games to prove you’re the best, either in standard match-ups or a board game Dream Pennant mode. What makes Pro Baseball Famista 2011 special is the Namco Stars Team.

The Namco Stars team is quite possibly the most epic, virtual baseball team in existance. I mean, it has a Ridge Racer car as one of its players. In case that just passed over your head, let me say it again – there is a sports car playing baseball in Pro Baseball Famista 2011. While you’re still gaping over that, let me also say that an Ace Combat jet and one of the Taiko Drum Master drum characters are also part of the Namco Stars Team.

Namco Bandai hasn’t revealed all of the characters from its iconic games that will step up to the plate yet in Pro Baseball Famista, but did mention quite a few to Famitsu. They even supplied character art of the more recognizable figures in uniform. If you choose the Namco Stars as your team, you could have Idolm@ster‘s Haruka Amami, Soul Calibur‘s Siegfried or Tekken‘s Nina Williams hiting home runs for you. Other games that will be represented include God Eater Burst, Mr. Driller and Xenosaga.

There’s no word yet about a North American release. It could happen, so just keep your fingers crossed. Especially since we can’t import it, what with the 3DS being region-locked. If you’re in Japan though, and planning on getting a Japanese 3DS, you can get Pro Baseball Famista 2011 for yourself for ¥6,090 (~$74) on March 31, 2011.

Read [Famitsu (Japanese)] Also Read [Andriasang]

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Hot Japanese Imports: UVERworld

Section: Exclusives, Originals, Features, Columns, Japanese Imports, Consoles, PS2, Handhelds, PSP & PSPgo, Gear, Audio, Genres, Action, Fighting, Role-Playing

It’s been a while since Hot Japanese Imports took a peek at Japanese music, so let’s do that this week, yes? That was rhetorical by the way. Don’t worry though, odds are you’ll like this column’s featured group – it’s UVERworld. Sure, you may not understand the lyrics when you listen to their music, but it has the same sort of feel as US popular rock and top-40 music. If you like songs from Anberlin, Relient K, Fall Out Boy, Ellegarden or Boys Like Girls, then you might enjoy listening to UVERworld too.

So what’s UVERworld?

UVERworld is a Japanese rock band, of course. It started out as a seven man band known as Sound Goku Road, but scaled down become UVERworld before the group was discovered in 2005 and made their debut. The group is made up of five members now, with Takuya singing, Katsuya on guitar, Akira on drums, Nobuto on bass guitar and Shintaro on drums.

If you’re interested in getting into UVERworld’s music, your best bet is to stop by YouTube. It’s a great place to check out the group’s music videos. (Be prepared to wade through tons of fan-made music videos too!) Then, when you find songs you like, you can check and see if one of the six CDs released so far, Timeless, Bugright, Proglution, Awakeve, Neo Sound Bestand Last, has some of the tracks. If anything, Neo Sound Best would be the one to go for since it’s a greatest hits collection.

Here are some songs I would recommend checking out:

• “D-Tecnolife” Timeless (Also on Neo Sound Best)
• “Just Melody” Timeless
• “Chance!” Timeless (Also on Neo Sound Best)
• “Shamrock” Bugright (Also on Neo Sound Best)
• “Colors of the Heart” BugRight (Also on Neo Sound Best)
• “Kimi no Suki na Uta” Bugright (Also on Neo Sound Best)
• “Endscape” Proglution
• “Ukiyo Crossing” Proglution (Also on Neo Sound Best)
• “99/100 Damashi no Tetsu” Awakeve (Also on Neo Sound Best)
• “Gold” Last

As you can see, I’m especially fond of the group’s earlier songs, but they’re all very good.

UVERworld in games and anime

While the name may sound unfamiliar, chances are you have heard UVERworld before. Especially if you happened to catch Bleach on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. UVERworld’s “D-TecnoLife” was used as one of the theme songs for that series. Quite a few animes have theme songs performed by the group. If you watched Blood+, D. Grey-man or Mobile Suit Gundam 00, then you heard “Colors of the Heart,” “Gekidou” and “Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi.”

UVERworld’s music has been used as video game theme songs as well, but none of the games have been released in North America yet. If you happened to pick up the very import-friendly PSP game Bleach: Heat the Soul 2, like I did, then “Chance!” greets you whenever the game begins! Also, “D-TecnoLife” was tapped again for the PS2 action-adventure game Bleach: Erabareshi Tamashii. In non-anime games, the group also performs “Ultimate” for Last Ranker (PSP).

COMING NEXT WEEK: Hot Japanese Imports talks about Nendoroids.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week reviewed Tales of Graces F.

Site [UVERworld] Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

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Sega attending AOU Amusement Machine Expo 2011 and bringing old games

Section: Gaming News, Features, Japanese Imports, Game-Companies, Developers, Publishers, Genres, Action, Arcade, Fighting, Role-Playing, Sports, Conventions, Web-Sites, Official-Sites

Japan’s Amusement Machine Operator’s Union AOU Amusement Expo 2011 is coming up February 18 – 19, 2011 and video game companies are starting to announce whether or not they will show up, and open up their own AOU sites so people can have a hint about what games will be appearing. Sega happens to be just one of those companies. It’s appeared at the AOU for years now, even announcing games there, and has committed to showing up at AOU 2011 with a booth that so far will only have existing games.

The Sega AOU 2011 site has listings and pages for each of the six games the company is bringing to the Expo. If you want action and fighting, you’ll want to head for Border Break: Air Burst, Shining Force: Cross Raid or Virtual Fighter 5: Final Showdown. Sports fans can head to Sega Card-Gen MLB 2010 for some baseball. Finally, fans of the more casual arcade games will be able to sample Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcade Version A and Network Taisen Quiz Answer x Answer Live!. All six of the games Sega is bringing are Japan-exclusives, which means you’ll probably never see them in an arcade near you. Unless you live near a really awesome one that imports machines from Japan.

Of course, this is all information from Sega’s preliminary AOU 2011 announcement. It will almost assuredly have new games for attendees to observe and play. Sega always tends to do that. It just likes to keep them a surprise, unlike Konami and Namco, which both have confirmed new games like Jubeat Copious and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for the event. Arcade Heroes is predicting an Initial D arcade game may appear at Sega’s booth. If you happen to be in Tokyo on February 19, 2011, you can stop by if you like. That’s the day AOU 2011 is open to the public.

Read [Andriasang] Also Read [Arcade Heroes] Site [Sega AOU 2011 (Japanese)] Site [AOU 2011]

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Japan Import: Silver PS3s return

Section: Gaming News, Features, Japanese Imports, Consoles, PS3, Game-Companies, Developers, Publishers

On March 10, 2011, a new PS3 is coming to own and it’s a Japan exclusive. Don’t worry – you don’t be missing out. All the changes are cosmetic. As in, hey! If you live in Japan you can pick up a silver PS3 in case black just doesn’t match your living room decor.

There will be two Satin Silver PS3s released, a ¥29,980 (~$366) 160gb system and the other a ¥34,980 (~$430) 320gb system. So you can get one with just the right amount of space, without having to worry about replacing a hard drive later. Each one will come with a matching DualShock 3 controller, as well as all the necessary cables. The consoles will be limited edition items, though Sony didn’t state how many would be produced.

If you happen to be awestruck by that Satin Silver machine, then you can always import. Odds are, it will never receive a North American release. PS3 games are region-free, which means they’ll play on any console, so you can grab one and enjoy games bought in North America. The PS3 itself isn’t region-free though, so if you get a Japanese one you will only be able to play Japanese DVDs, Blu-ray discs (unless they’re region-free) and PS1 games.

Not that I’d ever plan to do anything like that. It’s not that the silver PS3 looks bad, it just seems a bit lacking. At least, compared the the Piano Black PS3s that are available everywhere. The black PS3s just seem so refined, dignified and classy. Maybe it’s just me, but the silver pales in comparison. It almost looks like it’s made of cheaper isn’t materials, though that obviously isn’t the case since the color is the only difference. Perhaps the silver system just doesn’t photograph well.

Read [Sony Computer Entertainment Inc (Japanese)] Also Read [AV Watch (Japanese)] Also Read [PlayStation Universe]

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