I already stated in my Yume post how I got into these little buggers, so I thought I would get posts on the other six I currently own (yeah I’m pretty new to Microman, or is it men?).

Achilles seems to be the sort of “good guy, main character” of the Magneforce line, as Micromen are good guys and Acroyear are bad guys. Being the good guy, you would only think he would have some sort of bright color, like red which is what Achilles is for the most part with some chrome details.

The articulation is pretty good, magnetic joints are in the thighs, shoulders and a bigger magnet connecting the waist to the chest. Regular joints are in the knees, forearms, wrists, ankles and the neck.

Most of the joints are pretty strong ball joints, so he gets some good poses, weight distribution doesn’t matter since it comes with a display stand, with a sheet of metal under the plastic for the magnets in his feet.

Accessories are somewhat little, but has all he should there, lots of extra hands, armor, display stand and wings that I assume he uses as weapons.

The armor looks good and adds the bit of bulk that Achilles needs. It snaps on somewhat easily and stays on for the most part, though I found the armor makes it somewhat hard to change the hands, its other wise nice.

The extra hands add to the creativity that make the Microman line strong, you get the average closed fist, the open hands, the regular cuffed/holding weapon hands, trigger hands (even though he doesn’t come with a gun) and pointed hands.

Weapons are a bit boring but since they have a point when combined, its under stand able, his weapons are wings, I know your probably thinking “Wings? What would he do with wings?”

For one thing, I assume he uses them like swords, but the point is there for his combined mode which I will talk about later. It’s a little sad they take what could have been really good weapons and sacrifice them for a combined mode that wasn’t all to great. None the less nice to see something new, even if somewhat odd.

The combined form can only be achieved if you own Theseus and Icurus, its very weird as I really don’t know what its supposed to be, I guess it shoots stuff while flying around. An arm on the display stand would help this mode a lot, but its some what bland the way it is. It actually only requires the weapons and magnetic ball joints from the other two, a little more involvement of the other two figures would have helped. Not much to say about this mold, I find it to be boring and that the figure by its shelf is much, much, better.

Pros

-creative concept

-looks attractive

-great articulation

Cons

-combined mode could have been better

If I recall, the first MSIAs were the RX-78-2, MS-06S Char Aznable custom and the MS-06F, so you can assume this figure will be a little old-fashioned. While being old, this MSIA is still great, there’s plenty of panel inking, the paint is beautiful, this figure is one that still competes with whatever Bandai pumps out.

Articulation is good, but a bit restricted in the legs due to the skirt armor, and the arms are the old type so they can’t raise up all the way like modern figures. The head and hands are peg jointed so it can’t look up and has trouble holding its machine gun (a bit), that pretty much sums up my articulation woes.

Lots of accessories, the machine gun has a removable drum that the Zaku can hold, which is nice but no story this time.

The bazooka can get a lot of poses, I just whish the support handle was tunable so the Zaku could hold it better.

The missile pods weren’t the best part of this figure, If you can find one, it more than likely won’t have this problem, these are great little accessories, but mine I believe is a production error, I GOT TWO RIGHT MISSILE PODS. this doesn’t harm the figure, but none the less bothers me, to get the left missile pod to fit, I have to place it where either the missiles don’t point outward or cram it on which I’ve found to look best though it slopes, if anything I can give my honest opinion of the right missile pod.

Its held on by a ringlet on the other end and stay on quit well and looks good, maybe if I had the left missile pod I could say the same for it.

The heat hawk is a nice change from the beam saber, it stores nicely on its skirt and looks great when being held, I could not say the same for the US version because it dose not come with extra hands. Since I currently don’t own the US version of the Zaku, I tried holding the heat hawk with the trigger hand and it slid right out, but the heat hawk is still a fun part of this MSIA.

the shield and shoulder pieces are removable, and even interchangeable. Not a lot you can do with them but I thought I would mechin it.

As a display piece this is one fine MSIA, lots of options, great pose ability, good detail, the Zaku will surely stand out, a great display piece, and a fairly sturdy toy.

pros and cons

Pros

-Sturdy, ok for play

-Lots of accessories, even if they don’t fit completely

-Nice detailing

Cons

-limited articulation in some areas

A couple of years ago, I snagged this one and the Gyan MSIAs off Amazon.com and of course I was excited. The package finally got here about a week or so later, sadly the car broke down if I recall so me, my parents and my brother (moeu) go hauling off mean while set in the back seat constantly thinking about my two new MSIAs!

Enough of the old stories back to the point of my review, this is basically the same thing you get with the ground type Gundam MSIA except a couple of new parts, and a ground type GM head.

I do not currently own a regular RX-79 [G] Gundam, so besides not being much different there’s not much holding back this MSIA, at the moment I‘m happy just to have a variant this mobile suit.

Excellent detail, theirs everything but panel lines, though the paintjob looks real nice on this figure.

This figure comes loaded with parts, I’ll start with the machinegun included for this figure.

This is my favorite part of the hole thing, the ammo clips can be removed from the waist and the machine gun itself just imagine this sort of scene where the RX-79 [G]is reloading after pouring its ammo into the gouf custom, now a thick smoke lays and thrusting out of it is the unharmed gouf custom and chops the Gundam/GM in half!

Oh the excitement, any way the beam rifle is also very nice but not quit as fun as the machinegun, its nothing compared to the machinegun buts fun. The beam sabers are (again) about average, show accurate but very dull, there’s not much I can say nothing bad but nothing great. Cant be held good due to not having extra hands. The parachute backpack is not really how you would think an average action figure parachute would look.

Its very nice though, its molded to look like the parachute before its deployed and adds to the figure, on top of that if you where to set up a diorama using MSIAs you can remove the parachute part of the backpack

As seen after they land or just leaving a good little seat for GM-sans friends!

The problem is that it’s a heavy peace of PVC and weighs a ton making it hard to get on, considering that its held by a belt resting on the shoulder amour.

The shield is just icing on the cake, you’ll really just want to rake your finger trough it and leave the crusty part. This shield is one of the best shields from the vast MSIA lineup, it can put the good articulation of the arm to use.

Unlike most MSIAs this one has an innovative design, the peg (which holds in to the arm very well also) can be popped off leaving this sort of grey piece that you can then take and place the shield on after turning it, making the shield bit longer ,I guess so it can use it as a last resort weapon.

I find it hard to explain this shield, its actually somewhat simple, just cleaver, unlike the giant surfboard we got with the strike and the RX-78-2.

Surprisingly the weight distribution is really good, even with the parachute backpack equipped, it can get a lot of good poses except when kneeling it might tilt over since its legs have a wee bit of trouble sometimes.

Sorry if lost ya’ll somewhere in this review, but this MSIA is by far one of my favorites.

Time for some simple pros & cons to some up my thoughts.

Pros

-good articulation.

-good detail.

-lots of weapons and parts to tide you over.

-innovative mold

-decently sturdy, ok for soft play.

Cons

-very similar to the regular release of the RX-79 [G].

-parts might get lost if not kept up with, keeping them in a plastic bag would be a good idea.

First off…

Moe-tan

Episodes viewed so far: 2.

Impressions: Well…it’s moe, that’s for sure. Though, the show crosses the line at points, it makes up for it with some decent comedy.

Potemayo

Episodes viewed so far: 1

Impressions: Very, very funny. If Guchuko doesn’t qualify as one of the best characters of the year, then none of them do. Sadly, I’ve only been able to see the first episode, but it really impressed me. The jokes never felt flat, and it all flowed together nicely.

Umisho

Episodes viewed so far: 4

Impressions: A very solid show. It’s a “turn-your- brain-off” fanservice show, but it a very well done fanservice show. It spices up the usual clichés of the genera, so that it’s fun and rather refreshing. Those who don’t like this type of show won’t be impressed, but for those who actually like to have fun, it’s a very worthwhile show.

Code-E

Episodes viewed so far: 2

Impressions: It’s interesting, but very laid back. Because of this, it gives off the same vibes as the “Read or Die” TV series. Though, they really shouldn’t be compared. They are both two completely different shows. Still, it’s been a nice show so far. And it’s got Halko Momoi, that’s a plus.

Zero no Tsukaima: Season 2

Episodes viewed so far: 4

Impressions: It’s taken everything that made the first season great, and made it even better. It’s making so much headway. My only complaint is that it isn’t explaining the conflict between the various nations and kingdom very well. A good fantasy show should develop the overall scope of the world that they are in. Otherwise, Louise-chan is 10x more moe, Siesta is 10x more moe and sexy, everything is just generally better. Though that’s not to say that the first season was bad, because it wasn’t.

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai

Episodes viewed so far: 5

Impressions: Wow, this is in the same boat as ZnT2. It carries on from the first series, and improves on areas where the first season was obviously lacking.

Doujin Work

Episodes viewed so far: 4

Impressions: Another solid comedy this season. It’s a show about a young woman, with no interest in the Anime/Manga culture before, decides to take up writing and drawing Hentai doujishi looking for big bucks. It’s like “Comic Party”, but twisted. Every episode has never failed to make me laugh.

Baccano!

Episodes viewed so far: 1

Impressions: Yay for EPIC violence and dark comedy. It’s a bit confusing, but it left me wanting more. SO far, so good.

That’s all I’ve had a chance to watch so far, though there are a lot of other promising shows out there as well.

Lastly, I will be changing the focus of Moe Union. While I still love anime, I have been convinced by many commentators that I have a need for Viagra and flowers for my non-existent girlfriend. This is what I feel I must focus on.

Good night, and good luck…

Story: Shinobu is a ninja in training under her “master” Onsokumaru. Onsokumaru turns out to be nothing more than an odd, perverted, yellow ball. Shinobu, as part of a test, is sent by Onsokumaru to steal a pair of panties from 15 young women. Shinobu, however, isn’t the best ninja, and walks in on Kaede, in plain sight. After Kaede has a talk with Shinobu, they soon become friends. Later episodes on the disc include Kaede visiting Shinobu’s dojo, Kaede and Shinobu going shopping together, and other mundane circumstances which are turned into hilarious situations due to the absurdity of the characters.

Content: Two words. Pure joy. This set of episodes was a blast to watch from start to finish. This is due in part to both Shinobu, Onsokumaru and their interactions with Kaede. The writers and directors knew what they were doing.

The animation itself is nice. Standard UFOtable animation. The opening is done very well. The Japanese voice actors are superb, though I haven’t had a chance to listen to the English track.

As for the DVD itself, TRSI did a great job as usual. The DVD extras are okay, but the best thing is the booklet that is included. Lots of interviews and other interesting things.

Sorry if I’m to positive about this release, but I really can’t think of anything bad to say about it. I recommend this to people who enjoy stuff like Galaxy Angel, Excel Saga, Pani Poni Dash. Etc. However, if madcap comedy isn’t your forte, you may want to rent it first. Still, I recommend that you try it if you have the chance.

However, as enjoyable as the art and overall story was, the adaptation was horrendous. Tokyopop should be ashamed of themselves for letting the Griffonator touch it. I don’t know Japanese, I’ve never even read the book before a week ago, but I know that some of those characters weren’t saying what they said in the original version by the expressions the characters had. It’s blatant.

Other than the cringe worthy dialogue changes, it was a very enjoyable read. The overall story is still enjoyable, and lots of nice fanservice.

Story summary:

Sonsaku lives with her Mother, and attends high school like most normal girls her age. However, we learn that her Mother has been training her from an early age to be a skilled martial artist. Soon, she gets into a fight with a “toushi”, a person who possesses the sprit of a person from Three Kingdoms era China in a jewel (the Magatama) that they carry with them. Sonsaku proceeds to get in a fight and beat the snot out of said toushi.

Her Mother then sends her to a new high school in the town where her cousin, Koukin, lives. This town is where all of the toushi have began gathering. Thus begins the fanservice fest.

Later in the volume, we get treated to Ryomu kicking around some various people, and another group of toushi fighting some random toushi from the school where all of the reincarnated Wei officers have gathered.

Not all that much happens, but it is the first volume. An enjoyable read.

Score:

Adaptation: D- (at least it’s not edited)

Art: A+ (this is the main draw [haha a pun])

Story: B+ (exciting, but not much happens)

Overall: B

The episode starts with Sousou finishing another rampage. Him and Kakouton are pretty exhausted. However, after some discussion about Kaku, they find themselves ambushed by a young woman (presumably the reincarnation of Cao Xing) wielding kunai. After hitting Kakouton in the eye, Sousou unleashes his dragon on her. After soundly beating her, he smashes her face into a wall, killing her. We find out that the ambush was a ploy by Kaku to force the surrender of the school that sent the assassin. After that, we get some moe comedy time with Ryubi and Chofei trying to train together. The training is interrupted by an assassination attempt on Ryubi. Both Kanu and Chofei are able to foil the plot. However, Ryomu finally reappears.

Very action packed episode this week, with more plot advancement than last weeks episode. Though the moe factor was a bit less than the last episode. With that said, it was still a highly entertaining episode. Other than that, there isn’t much more to say. It was a fun, action packed, moe, half-hour.

Side note: I hope to start adding pictures in the future. When that happens, I’ll update all of the past episode reviews with some pictures.