12 Days of Anime, Day 4: Tales Comeback!

Image Credit: sky (freedom) from Pixiv

The worst part about having Paint Tool Sai installed on my system is knowing that other artists are using the program to its full potential with a Wacom Cintiq or other expensive tablets that I can’t afford.

…oh well, enough with the jealousy and time for some holiday spirit, and all that other jazz. Day 4, man! ($4k present for Mikoto…please? Please?)

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

One cross-shaped scar…

[First Day]

Two godly novels…

[Second Day]

Three pals at Fanime…

[Third Day]

Four Apple Gummis, and a partridge in a pear tree!

2012 was certainly a good year for the Tales fandom. Western fans finally saw the release of a localized Tales of Graces f for the PS3, as well as the announcement of an English release of Tales of Xillia that’s set to be released next year. A 3DS port of previously-released Tales of the Abyss came out west-side, also. Hopefully this means the future will be good for this anime-inspired Action JRPG franchise, which has always been given the short end of the stick when it comes to English localizations. English localization of Tales of Xillia 2… please?

Shame that they still haven’t included Japanese vocal tracks in the English releases of Tales games yet. I think Namco Bandai is one of the only companies that still do that nowadays, as other companies treat their JRPG localizations like anime where the releases are bilingual. Of course, the western Tales fanbase has quite a few vocal dub fanboys that like making strawman arguments about people who prefer the Japanese vocal track in a mostly Japanese-only video game franchise, so… I mean, Crispin Freeman and Johnny Yong Bosch are cool and all, but why deny us of hearing Norio Wakamoto’s godly voice or Jun Fukuyama? Japanese Tales always has some really high-caliber casting with a variety of voice actors, and it’s become one of the charms the series has, with the seiyuu becoming identifiable with their individual characters. Lack of Yukana aside, though, I appreciate Namco Bandai of America finally giving this series some attention regardless.

Other than the video games, this year marked the beginning and end to the final arc of the Tales of Symphonia OVA series. I haven’t watched the third and final episode of that arc yet, but I’m planning to. Ufotable’s loose adaptation is possibly one of the few loose and abridged anime adaptations based on a video game that I can ever claim to satisfy me as a fan and be just as cool as the source material, even better in some parts. And to think, a few years ago, I thought this OVA series was a bland and mediocre adaptation that would die from being on an indefinite hiatus. Then it came back, better than ever, and managed to impressed me.

Speaking of which, it wasn’t until recently from watching these OVAs and Tales of Xillia‘s opening animation that I realize just how good of an animation company Ufotable is!

Just check out that animation. Scrumptious. GO UFOTABLE!

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(…can’t wait til’ this is over…)