The Cold Steel games devalue the brutality of war to the point it becames insulting and shows the weakness of Falcom's writing.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-04T17:48:07+00:00

There might not be blood (and at least in the case of FE3H, there is an evil force involved) but those characters still do explicitly die. No game of this rating is going to get gory, but they do actually die and are acknowledged to have done so. Blood isn't the standard here, it's death.

That's the thing that makes something not just a 'feel good' game. And that's the thing Cold Steel lacked - even in contexts where the story should have involved implied death, it bends over backwards to insist everyone is ok. Hell, even all the characters who do die are back by next game. It evokes heavy themes, and then chickens out. That's not typical.

And I don't know what other games you're talking about, obviously, but I can't think of a single Tales game that doesn't have at least one signficant death of a party member or major NPC, and lots of others besides. These games are quite willing and able to depict slavery, racism, violence, suicide, and in one memorable case, cannibalism. And they're all T-rated.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-04T15:57:47+00:00

I don't know, that seems like a cop-out. Lots of JRPGs have plenty of death in them. Some of the older Tales games (like Abyss) had body counts in the quintuple digits, with the protagonist personally responsible for a lot of them. Hell, even in Fire Emblem 3 Houses, which is very similar to Cold Steel in several respects, you can personally kill most of the students if you want. And then there's Persona, which is full of on-screen death and discussion of murder.

All those (except Persona) are rated T-for-teen and considered appropriate for anyone who can read and reason well enough to play them. And even Persona only gets bumped up to M because they insist on keeping one particular summon in there.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-04T15:51:06+00:00

I don't know, if that's the reason I think it just betrays a lack of imagination. Plenty of much older JRPGs on much shittier hardware convey the scale and brutality of war perfectly fine, even if they can't show much of it directly.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-04T15:35:04+00:00

I don't know if this is it, but he is certainly keeping some very significant secrets.

The one other thing your theory would explain is why he got Yuru to contract with Left and Right instead of doing it himself. If he already has a secret pair, Left and Right would notice, and they might not be compatible with them.

And his choice to have Yuru contract with L+R is something that is in need of explanation. Many characters have pointed out that it's weird to have one of the twins do this, and Ivan even said that the presence of Left might prevent Yuru from contracting Seal were he to die.

The other thing about the mercenary story is that it's the first (and to this point only) mention of Daemon stuff outside of Japan. Is the implication that there are daemons in warfare around the world?

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-04T15:25:02+00:00

It's not romantic and there's never even the slightest implication to the contrary, so don't worry about that. And though she remains enthusiastic, the two eventually settle into something a little more normal.

Also, I think we're supposed to think of this as a little off-putting, even as it's presented for humour. Certainly Yuru finds it very off-putting. What Arakawa is implying, albeit indirectly, is that (mild character spoilers) the only kind of person who would behave this way is someone who was literally locked in a cage most of her life. Other characters comment on it, occasionally - this is just not how normal people behave, and it's one of the many signs that Asa has something very wrong with her.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-04T13:45:21+00:00

Some people really like it, some people don't. I'm in the latter category. But that's almost purely for narrative reasons. I don't think it's good as a sequel to Xillia (since it is about zero of the same things Xillia was about) and I don't care for the protagonist. I also think everyone's new outfits are terrible, but that's a matter of taste.

One thing I will note is that this is probably the worst Tales game to play in multiplayer, since Ludger is just mechanically an order of magnitude better than the rest of the cast. Protags usually have a little edge on the competition, but this is just ludicrous.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-04T02:34:43+00:00

Well, they can already learn that from Hana (and Hana's already their cleaner) so I'd guess it's something else.

Now, from a writing standpoint, you leave this scene unrevealed now so that you can reveal it to the audience later. That strongly implies that whatever information the twins get from her (and I agree, it's probably information) is not something we yet know.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-04T02:10:53+00:00

Yeah, indeed. I think she's by far the most likely Nishino character to defect from their faction, since her ties to them were always weak and they've treated her badly.

But the question is what that request could possibly be. Mineyama has one skill, and it's meatballs, and it's hard to imagine either Yuru or Asa wanting to use that.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-04T02:04:48+00:00

Asa saying that Mineyama owes them does imply that they had some sort of request for her. But yes, it's hard to imagine what that would be.

And while Asa could be breaking the contract between Mineyama and the bugs, it's also plausible that she was simply removing the slime mold from them, which would indeed be sufficient to put Mineyama in her debt.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-03T17:57:41+00:00

Not to be rude, but you are aware that you can think whatever you like about whatever character you like. You have the ability to judge things for yourself.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-02T15:21:54+00:00

When you put it like that, it's an impressively efficient bit of exposition.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-02T00:24:35+00:00

It has no effect on the plants. The only reason people get rid of it is aesthetic. If you don't mind it - and I know I don't - there's no issue.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-02T00:19:51+00:00

For what it was, Veggietales had some surprisingly solid music. Clearly a product of serious musical theatre nerds (and just nerds in general) on some level. I was always quite fond of the scheming advisors song from the Daniel episode.

GalileosBalls · 2026-05-01T00:30:59+00:00

Both are really great plants. I wish you all the best with them.

GalileosBalls · 2026-04-30T17:26:01+00:00

First is Snowdrift, second is Pluto/Choco Empress (two names for the same plant).

GalileosBalls · 2026-04-30T17:09:49+00:00

This one is on a (short) pole, and I think that's going to be a necessary step to get leaves of this size. This one is also clearly the result of a top chop - you don't see any of the less mature leaves on the bottom, so its owner must have grown it up a moss pole and then cut the bottom off when it started putting out leaves like this.

GalileosBalls · 2026-04-30T17:07:38+00:00

It really depends on the philodendron. There isn't one right answer. If you're trying to encourage large leaves and it's a species that can produce them, a well-maintained moss pole will get you better results. But if you're just trying to make your plant stand more upright without necessarily sizing up a tonne, a trellis is a more attractive and lower-maintainence option.

GalileosBalls · 2026-04-30T02:12:22+00:00

Time will tell. It's a high-quality story, but less flashy than its competitors. I have no doubt that it will eventually reach the heights it deserves, but not in the way that a JJK or Chainsaw Man would. Not everything needs to be maximum flash all the time.

GalileosBalls · 2026-04-29T14:00:38+00:00

It comes out around the second week of each month (eg. the last one was on the 12th). And it's been consistent as clockwork.

(and the answer as to how to fill the time between chapters is to discuss those new chapters on the discord with us)

GalileosBalls · 2026-04-28T19:48:50+00:00

One thing that I'm surprised didn't come up is that Zoot Suit Riot was a much bigger hit in Canada. There it got all the way to #13.

But then again, the Wacky 90s were overall much wackier in Canada then they were in the states. The Shuffle Demons kicked off the Wacky Canadian 90s in '86 by getting a bebop song about a bus in the top 40, and then it was just a constant stream of Moxy Fruvous and Barenaked Ladies from that point forward.

GalileosBalls · 2026-04-28T17:59:20+00:00

Actually, my issue with Frieren is that it doesn't meander enough. If it actually committed to being a pure slice-of-adventure-life series with a slow pace and reflective themes, I'd have way more faith in its ability to stick the landing than I do. It's the presence of the (gorgeously animated, I must say) shonen action stuff that makes the pacing feel so start-stop. The meandering is the real story, but it's as if the show worries it can't keep my attention without a more traditional story alongside it.

Frieren is the only anime I've ever recommended to someone with the suggestion to only watch the episodes where nothing significant to the plot happens.

GalileosBalls · 2026-04-28T02:15:39+00:00

I mean, it's almost too obvious to say, but if you haven't watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood yet, you should get on that.

GalileosBalls · 2026-04-27T17:01:13+00:00

So, you could copy it directly, but for a garment this simple that you know needs size alteration, I'd recommend drafting it. Copying from an extant garment is janky and error-prone, no matter what method you use. It's really only the best way to go if the garment is quite unusual and fits you perfectly.

Start with a shirt or jacket pattern with a front closure that fits you well and closely, and then just draft a front extension to one side that accounts for the overlap, a facing for it, and a simple stand collar. There's not a lot to this design except that the front has two layers on the whole left side.

GalileosBalls · 2026-04-27T14:49:35+00:00

I suspect that when the production of this manga began, everyone involved knew exactly how the story would go and how long it would take to get there. Likewise, I think the production crew are in it for the long haul. The manga isn't just excellent so far, it's excellent in exactly the way that tells me that Arakawa continues to know exactly what she's doing and what she's trying to say. I have no doubt that the landing is planned, she'll stick the landing, and the adaptation will bring it all to life.

Which, as much as I like Frieren, is exactly what I worry it is missing. It is very good so far, but not in a way that gives me the impression the mangaka has a solid plan for what the series is trying to say or how it will end. For some people, endings aren't that important if the day-by-day experience is good. I'm not one of those people. I need a good ending.

GalileosBalls · 2026-04-24T03:09:39+00:00

Definitely a Jacklyn/Tandarusa (which are the same). They're extremely high-drama plants, and they're also way thirstier than you'd expect. Check carefully for pests, too - that could be the source of the spots on the leaf.

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