Cube World

Cube World

Cube World is a voxel based exploration RPG.
A bit like Minecraft crossed with The Elder Scrolls.

It is roughly $24.00 NZD

I want it.

Team SKT T1 World Championship Teaser

A Montage of footage from the world finals showing some of the plays and team fights that secured the World Cup.

But what's that at the end? Could this be confirmation that SKT are getting their own set of skins similar to last years TPA Skin Bundle.

We can only hope this inst a April fools joke seeing that there has been confirmation from twitter and the Dev team that this is not a April fools joke since they released it on the 31st of March and not April the 1st.

Alone side this a new log in screen featuring Urf the manatee can be seen along with a new summoner icon showing Urf which was the April fools joke several years ago so its more likely that will be the joke, and this is the real deal. 

From what we have seen at least three of the champions that could be up for consideration are, Zed, (as teased) Lee sin, and Jax, Hopefully we will know shortly on what champions these could possibly be for.

Games! Games! Games!

Add us on Steam!

Nathan
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/niknar/

Daniel
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198015511136/

Kostijn
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198054204241/

Velociraptor Free Cooking #1

Anime Review: Mirai Nikki

(Sorry for the MASSIVE delay on reviews, been busy with school and all. Anyway, here you go!)
(Also, this review contains spoilers in [these kinda brackets]. You have been warned.)

Before I go anywhere with this review, I'd just like to point out that opinions vary. My opinion may be different to yours, and that is fine. It doesn't make you wrong.

I've been watching anime for a while now, and there was always a handful of anime that was looking at me. Waiting for me to pick it up and give it the time it deserved. Mirai Nikki was such a series. I've had it in my hands on many occasions, but never really been in the mood for it. Until recently, where I did finally finish the series. Now, to say that the series was bad is a lie, a fall though lie. It was good, some may even say it was great. And if you haven't seen it yet I can say nothing other than it's a series you have to have seen. However, you may notice that I complain a lot about this series, and it'll all be explained soon. I promise.
Mirai Nikki is a very dark Romance series, and the only reason I add'Romance' to this is because the series follows a 'couples' trials in a very dark situation. Otherwise I'd just call it a very dark and psychological series.

Story
Yukiteru "Yuki" Amano is your loner. He spends his days alone in his room, fails to interact with kids in school, and pulls himself into an imaginary world where he talks to his imaginary friends Deus Ex Machina, the God of almost everything, and Murmur. Yuki also spends a lot of time on his phone, writing down everything that happens around him in it. One day when talking do Deus, Deus mentions something about a game, and the next morning Yuki wakes up with a diary that can tell the future. Completely bewildered by this, Yuki begins to use his 'Random Diary' to do all sorts of things, like steering clear of bullies, and cheating on tests.
As this is all occurring, the police are after a serial killer, who is going around killing people, as most serial killers do. On his walk home from school, Yuki finds out he is being followed by the killer, and starts to run away. While running away Yuki stumbles upon a classmate of his, Yuno Gasai. She quickly tells him to follow her, and being the loner with no opinion he follows her. Over the next series of events Yuki quickly finds out that Yuno also has a diary that can tell the future, called the 'Yukiteru Diary' because it tells Yuno exactly what is going to happen to Yuki. Soon Yuki and Yuno become cornered, and using his only good skill, Yuki throws one of his playing darts, piercing the phone of the serial killer, making him suddenly disappear.
Yuki and Yuno are then teleported to Deus, who explains that Yuki is part of a battle royal, where the winner will take his place as God to rule over the world. Along with this, he mentions to the other 11 participants that 'Diary Owner 1', in this case Yuki, is his favorite to win. This makes him the biggest threat of course, and the number 1 target.
The series now follows Yuki and Yuno, trying to survive the battle royal by all means, and by all means. I mean, all means.

Characters
As with my other reviews, I'll stick to just the hero and heroine.
Yukiteru Amano: Yuki is, for lack of better words, a cry baby. He starts off as a loner, doing nothing but talk to his 'Imaginary' friend Deus and his lackey Murmur. We soon find out that Yuno and Yuki have a little bit of history together, but I'll go into detail with that in Yuno's review. My biggest problem with Mirai Nikki isn't the story, the animation or anything like that, heck. Even like the characters. Well, all of the apart from Yuki, the fact that he doesn't change throughout almost the whole series until some crazy thing happens [his father gets killed], and he suddenly becomes very serious about winning the Survival Game. I suppose he also becomes quite good at manipulating Yuno as the series progresses, but if your girlfriend is as f**ked up and in love with you as she is, I get the feeling it can't be too difficult. But the thing that really ticks me off is the last 5 minutes of the final episode. All that character development, all of that build up, to give me an ending like that just gave me a sour taste in my mouth. Again opinions may vary, but it just really pissed me off for the series to end like that.
Yuno Gasai: Sadly this is going to be rather short, because if you have seen the series, you know why she's as 'crazy' as she is, and if you haven't, the it's something I really cannot spoil. But in any case, Yuno's story really begins when she saves Yuki from the Third diary owner. We then find out that Yuno has been obsessed with Yuki ever since she helped him fill out his 'Plans for the Future' sheet, where she writes down that he'll marry her on it.
If you have heard or seen anything of Mirai Nikki, you will probably know that Yuno is, aside from a freakish stalker girl, also a murdering psychopath. The thing I like about Yuno though is that, for all her 'strange' ways, we are shown throughout the series, why she became like this. The character development is really nice, and although her character doesn't change dramatically like Yuki's does (even if that was only for a short time), it's still nice to see there being some development in her character and her story.

Animation
The animation for Mirai Nikki was done by a company called Asread, who have done work on series such as Corpse Party and Kiddy Girl-and. They have also helped produce bigger works such as Full Metal Alchemist, Sword Art Online and a very popular series right now called Kill la Kill.
The art is fantastic. The animation itself flows very nicely, and the feeling you get from the series is expressed through the drawings in the exact same way. The gore is there, but it doesn't flood your eyes (not all the time anyway) and the feel I got from watching it was very aesthetically pleasing.

Openings and Endings
The first opening 'Kūsō Mythology' was amazing. Not only was the animation in it beautifully placed with the music, but the tempo, the way it sucked you in. Everything about it felt very, Mirai Nikki-like, which I find some openings fail to do for me, which I sometimes get disappointed by. 'Dead End' was the second opening, and I was surprised to recently find out it was completely English. Again it gave off the feeling that the opening really belonged with the series, and not like it was just there to roll opening credits through.
I found both endings to be pretty average. Probably not really my taste, but they aren't terrible either, so that's a good thing.

Other Points
What I like about Mirai Nikki is that most of the other Diary Holders get some screen time, not all in the same amount, some hardly any at all. but at least we get to know a little about all of them before Yuno sticks a knife in it, so to speak. However, and this is my biggest problem with the series. Those last 5 minutes of the last episode really ticked me off. But before you say "But if you watch the OVA it fixes that", I'm reviewing the series, not the OVA, not the franchise, just the series. Because of that the OVA doesn't fix it, because for me it's not there to fix it. At least not in this review it isn't.

Final Marks
For all my complains with Yuki being a cry baby that doesn't grow up, the rest of the series is great. The story will keep you curious about what is going to happen next, and I found myself wondering what kind of stories the Diary Owners had, and what they were hoping to get out of becoming God. In the end I have to give this series a solid 8.5/10. Because no series is perfect, and for all it's good points, there are always little plot holes and other questions you are left with that you can only ever really get an answer to if you read the manga.

Thanks for reading through all of that, please tell me if you think there's something I can improve on, or if there are things that you disagree with. See ya.

Anime Review: Kaicho wa Maid-sama

(I apologize in advance, this is the first review I've ever done.)
I'm a sucker for love stories. It's true, I'll watch just about anything as long as it has a good romance to it. Maid-sama did not disappoint me in the slightest on this note. All though it doesn't hit my top 20 anime, It comes pretty close. Many of my friends feel I have a terrible taste in anime, and I can't say they're wrong, but I can't say they're right either, seeing as I will watch just about anything. If the word 'Maid' is throwing you off, and you think that it's just going to be another Ecchi love series between a maid and some other guy, you're 100 miles off. The series is simply a story of a girl who has worked her way to the top and is now Student Body President, but because she comes from a poor family, she has to word as a MAID to help her mother. Still put off, let me shed a little more light on the series for you.

Story
Misaki Ayuzawa has worked and worked, excelling in class and on the sports field, and as such has landed herself in the position of Student Body President of Seika High, a once all boys school which has recently switched to co-ed. As such the female population is rather low, and due to the ruffian, recklass and filthy male student body, the number of female students isn't going up. As such Misaki has taken upon herself to make this school a place where girls can enjoy themselves, and not have to deal with the many male shenanigans that occur within the school. We soon get introduced to Usui Takumi, the schools 'top dog' in the male student body. All the girls love him, and he's constantly turning down girls and causing them to cry, much to the displeasure of Misaki.
Many years ago, Mikasa's father ran away from home, leaving a large debt with his two daughters and wife. Wanting to help her mother make ends meet, Mikasa goes out to find work, and ends up landing a spot at a Maid cafe in a neighboring town. Although it is embarrassing, the pay is good, and as such, she decides to keep the job, just hoping against hopes that nobody will see her, and tell the school about her working at a maid cafe, as it would break the strong trust and respect she has worked so hard to obtain. However, things don't go as planned, as very quickly Usui runs into her at her work. Thus begins the unfoldings of a love story that I cannot get enough of.

Characters
For the sake of making this Review NOT 5 million words long, I'll just talk about Usui Takumi and Mikasa Ayuzawa.
Mikasa Ayuzawa: Perfect greades, a top athlete, a diligent student and the Student Body President, Mikasa is a character archetype which I enjoy watching, I was watching Maid-sama and Special A at the same time, and this specific character type was used in the female leads in both these series. But What Mikasa brings to the table better than Hikari from SA is the Tsundere archetype which she only puts on with Usui. The interactions between them are great and always entertaining to watch. However when she's not with Usui, she brings a more direct character, which shows her determination and her will to protect the girls of Seika if a fantastic light. Overall she was a very well designed character, and as much as I wish I could have seen her character develop a little more, all good things must come to an end.
Usui Takumi: Probably one of my favorite male characters in any series I have thus seen, Usui Takumi is the definition of pure awesomeness. Doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and having the grades, looks and total lack of care to back it up. It's an archetype I've seen done before, but never done with such pure cleanliness. Honestly, I can give no faults to his character, only that jumping off a school building and only coming out scratched seems a little far fetched to me. But that aside, there are few flaws that I find are worth pointing out. He remains the same though out the series, which is in a way a shame, but in a way isn't, as I feel his character barely needed development from after episode 5 or so. His interactions with other characters are great, and all thought slightly predictable, are still great to see on screen.

Animation: The animation is by J.C.Staff, who also animated the anime Witch Craft Works, which I did a first thoughts on, as well as producing other series like Toradora and season 2 of Bakuman. The animation itself was great, if a little rough, I felt it brought character to the series, rather than letting it down. And the flicking between Chibi and normal animation was done in such a way that although it was done so much, it didn't feel to me as it was done to often, and as such I could properly follow the series, rather than think "Why are thet all drawn as Chibi's in a scene like this?"

Opening and Endings: I don't plan to say much on this, as I only plan to note a few small things about them. The series has only one opening for all 26 episodes. It was catchy, even if I couldn't not laugh at the first line when I heard it. The series has 2 endings, which I both really liked and would happily listen to in the background as I went through my daily routine.

Other Points: All though I have said that this series, in a way, is perfect. That's only in my opinion, and that can very easily vary for other people. Not every anime is for everyone, and there could very well be people who don't like the 'fanservice' given to us by the maid cafe. Or maybe you just don't like the Tsundere character type and that's what drives you away. That's fine. Sadly the series ends at chapter 35 in the Manga series, which tempts me to go and read the rest, but that's up to you to decide.

Final Marks: Kaicho wa Maid-sama brings together the perfect harmony of comedy and romance. I've seen it twice, and will probably watch it again simply because of the interactions between Usui and Takumi. I'll say in advance, no amine is 10/10, because no anime is perfect, ever series has it's flaws in one form or another, and as such cannot be perfect. As such I give Kaicho wa Maid sama a solid 7.5/10. Definitely one of the finniest series I've seen, but as much as I am a sucker for romance, I feel it doesn't deserve more, not because of how it is, but because of what it is. The series leaves little room for character development as if there was, the characters would change to much, and the series would loose it's vibe that I want it to have so much.

Thank's for bothering to read that, I hope it was insightful and gave you a good impression.

First Thoughts: Buddy Complex

Time travel, Mechs, explosions, rivalries, this series has a lot to it, and I like it. First day back after summer break, Aoba Watase spends his lunch break with his mates playing a bit of basketball, when out of seemingly nowhere a giant mecha or Valiancer, comes out and starts trying to kill him. A classmate, Hina, suddenly grabs Aoba and runs away with him. After getting seperated, Hina soon appears with a Valiancer of her own, and after grabbing Aoba sends him and the mecha 70 years into the future. Where Aoba is suddenly thrown into a war, and must use the Valiancer given to him to save his own life. Animated by Sunrise, who have brought us many favorites like Code Geass, Cowboy Bebop, Gundum, Accel World and Gintama, the quality of art is beautiful. The series, for only being 3 episodes in has me immersed, and I'm not even such a big fan of mecha anime to begin with. If mech is for you, this series is a definite go to, but even if you're not a big fan, such as myself, I still recommend you give it a try, you may be surprised like I was.

First Thoughts: Hamatora

Minimum, a unique power which only few people called 'Minimum Holders' possess. The series follows a detective group called Hamatora, which was first begun by a pair of Minimum Holders called Nice and Murasaki. Accepting jobs to pay their living expenses, Hamatora follows the pair as they complete the jobs, and fall into a serial murder case that may put their lives at risk. Animated by Naz Animation Studio, the art is quite unique, I have never seen something like it, and I like how it looks. I've never seen an anime in the style of Hamatora, in either art or story, so far it's a great watch, and I strongly recommend it to people looking for something different from the normal mainstream series.

First Thoughts: Toaru Hikuushi E No Koiuta

A number of years ago, in the Balsteros empire, a rebellion occurs, in a night an new republic is formed. Both King and Queen, as well as their only son, are all killed.
A number of years later Karueru and his sister Nina become trainee pilots in search of the end of the sky. Living on the floating island Isla, they meet a number of new people, including a charming young girl called Claire Cruz. The series is animated by TMS Entertainment, formerly known as Tokyo Movie Shinsha, and have animated series like D.Gray-man and Bakuman. From what I can tell withing the first 3 episodes is that the story has a good drive, there's a reason behind things, as well as it being believable... apart from the floating island and magical girl, but I digress. I recommend the series to anyone looking for a sweet story with what may become a sour twist. I kept the summery short for a reason, watch the series to find out more.

First Thoughts: Witch Craft Works

Imagine if one day while you were walking through school, minding your own business then suddenly the school clock tower started to fall right above your head. Honota Takamiya finds himself in such a situation, barely able to comprehend that the school clock tower is floating above his head and now dropping towards him. Lucky for him though, he's saved by a Witch called Ayaka Kagari, one he later finds out, was ordered to protect him and his 'white stuff' (Don't shoot the messenger, I don't understand it either) from a group of evil witches. As such, Kagari, must now protect him every waking hour, but being regarded as Princess of the school, Takamiya now has to deal with not only evil witches, but the school breathing down his neck with evil glares and death letters. Brought to us by J.C.Staff, the same animation company that brought us Excel Saga, Shakugan no Shana, Zero no Tsukaima and Little Busters, the art is top notch. The series brings in a good degree of comedy, while splashing in a reasonably solid story (so far), as well as satisfying our wishes to see things explode. Overall Witch Craft Works is fun show, that will take up your spare 25 minutes nicely.

First Thoughts: Noragami

Norgami, in my opinion, is one of the best series that has been released this season. The story is of a god called Yato, who desperately wants to get his very own shrine. However, this means he has to do hundreds of tasks for people until he can afford his own shrine (and with a cost of 5 Yen a piece, that's a lot of jobs). One day while looking for a missing cat, he stumbles across a girl,  Hiyori Ika, who saves him from being hit by a bus, being hit herself. Because of the accident Hiyori's soul now constantly slips from her body. Asking Yato for help, the pairs lives become intertwined. The series is animated by Bones, who have brought series like Full Metal Alchemist, GoSick, Soul Eater and Darker than Black to our screens.
Taking a modern day twist on a god story is nice, and with interesting characters and great animation, I expect a lot from this series. Recommending it is a definite, if you like your classic Shonen Jump series, or liked any of the other series Bones animated, you can't go wrong with Noragami.

First Thoughts: Saikin, Imouto No Yousu Ga Chotto Okashiinda Ga

If I had to use one word to describe this series I wouldn't have a single problem. Ecchi. In just the first 2 episodes I've seen enough of it to know that this series is going to be something like DxD, KissXSis or To Love Ru, pure fan service. With characters from the shy tsundere little step-sister to the childhood friend with the oversized rack to the male lead with no clue how to deal with the situation. Series was animated by Project No.9, who also worked on Sword Art Online and Future Diary. I feel I have nothing more to say on the series, just that if you liked DxD and series like it, you'll probably enjoy this just as much.

First Thoughts: Nisekoi

Nisekoi follows the life of the life of Raku Ichijo, the son of a notorious gang. As a child he made a promise with a girl to one day meet her again. As proof of this promise, she gave him a locket, and kept the key for herself. Throw ourselves some 10 years on and Ichijo has entered high school. Now enter Chitoge (the girls on the right), a new transfer student who immediately hits it off with Ichijo, literally, I mean literally kicking him in the face. The two immediately are at each others necks. That is until Ichijo's father forces him into a relationship with a rival gang's daughter to freeze a turf war. Guess who the daughter is, go on..
The anime itself is produced by Shaft, who also animated Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei and Arikawa Under the Bridge. The story, so far, goes as you might expect a series of this genre to go, and so far has me rather entertained. If you're looking for a fun, romantic comedy with a side of guns and gangs, Nisekoi is definitely the show for you, but still a decent watch if you're just looking for entertainment.

First Thoughts: Z/X: Ignition

In a not so distant future from the present we currently live in (not counting you people who are reading this some 20 years from the posting date); 5 portals called 'Black Points' appear all over the world, bringing strange monsters called Z/X to earth. The Z/X must fight each other in order to survive, and this fight has spilled onto earth. Tennoji Asuka gets thrown into the mix when he receives a card from a shrine maiden. Using this card he can capture Z/X and fight with them. As such the story unfolds. based off a popular card game, the anime is animated by.... well, I couldn't actually find who animated it, but the animation is good, and so far it seems interesting enough. Not one of the best anime currently running, but worth a glance if you have the time.

First Thoughts: Nobunaga the Fool

I don't know how happy I'd be if my entire clan thought I was an idiot, heck, I don't think I'd be proud to call myself a fool either. But that isn't a problem Nobunaga, he laughs at other people's insults, and even uses their name calling to his own needs. I don't quite know what it is this season, but mecha seems to be the big thing at the moment. And Nobunaga the Fool isn't any different. Set in an alternate world, there is an East Planet and West Planet. On the West Planet, peace has found it's way into the lives of it's people, the East planet, however, is in a struggle between clans. Jeanna, from the West Planet, has strange dreams, telling her of a savior king who lives on the East Planet, so her and a comrade called Da Vinci set out to the West Planet in search of him, and soon stumble upon Nonunaga. Animated by Starlight, the same company who has made anime like AKB0048, Log Horizon and have co-animated Fairy Tail, their works are relatively good. The anime is interesting, and I would recommend it, even if just to settle your curiosities.

First Thoughts: Mahou Sensou

Mahou Sensou, also known as Magical Warfare, was released (from the best of my knowledge) on Jan 10 2014. It tells the story of a boy Nanase Takashi and his friends Isoshima Kurumi and Ida Kazumi, who get caught up in a fight between a group of magicians fighting a girl called Aiba Mui. This fight inevitably infects the 3 with magic and turns them into magicians themselves. Once the fight has been heroically won Mui takes the group to an alternate Tokyo, which is all that remains after a large war between the magicians. The series is animated by Madhouse, which also co-produced the very famous Death Note.
My opinion on the series is still rather neutral, it has it's very good elements in animation, but nothing that screams to me "This is going to be the next big thing!". And for all you fan-service fans, it definitely has something for you. Give it a try, I say. It could turn into something good, but don't expect it to be the next Attack on Titan.

First Thoughts: Nobunagun

Nobunagun. Released Dec 25 2013. My thoughts? Damn good. From what I've gathered from the first 2 episodes is that the story revolves around a girl called Shio Ogura. who is the reincarnation of a historical Japanese figure called Obu Nabunaga. An unknown alien race threatens to take over the world, and only E-Holders, people like Shio, can stop them. The art style reminds me a bit of K-On and other light series from Kyoto Animation, but the series is produced by a company called Bridge, who have also done works on series such as Sword Art Online, Star Driver and Fairy Tail. If you haven't seen it yet, watch it. Because it is DAMN good, and if you're into the hardcore overpowered lots of booms and explosions in a fight scene series, this is definitely for you.

Naruto Shippuden 345

So just watched the latest episode of Naruto Shippuden (345) and it was great. I've been watching Naruto every week for about 3 years now, and it has never given me a reason to stop watching it. And no, I don't read the manga, but I do know the big things going on. Overall I'm super impressed with the episode, and (as I guessed at the start of the episode itself) it showed me exactly what I was expecting to watch. The newest opening has grown on me too, at first I thought it was a bit to.... calm for what was going down in the arc, but now I enjoy listening to it. The new ending for Obito's arc is brilliant too (brought in ep 344).
Haven't seen the Naruto series or don't know where to watch it from? I recommend http://www.narutoget.com/

Hey there people of the interweb, I'm Kostijn. A kiwi kid with a passion for Anime, Manga, Vocaloids and Visual Novels. This blog is purely made for me to rate, rave or to just discuss my thoughts and opinions on recent, or older, anime show's which I have seen, or am watching. Feel free to comment your opinions or any questions you may have.
Hope you enjoy!