New updates coming soon!

Sorry for the long time between posts. I have been extremely busy, but I will try to get a new post up this week!

Beast Saga new releases February 9th! BS-36 Argyro, BS-37 Mantarei and BS-38 Gueru!

Just grabbed these guys this afternoon after work at the Yodobashi Camera in Osaka. As you can see on the pics, the retail price there is 105 Yen cheaper than MSRP. Pretty sweet deal, especially if you have the point card and get 10% back in store credit. Anyway, enough about that and on to the toys!
 

BS-36 Argyro is a pretty swell design, a nice balance of that "So ugly it's cute" of a real armadillo and the Battle Beast figure style.

 I am not gonna lie, I was pretty bummed about this one when I opened it. Looking at the prototypes and even in the package, it looked like the round shoulder pads were attached to the body, so you could pop the arms off and it would look like he rolled into a ball. But, no, they are glued to the arm, so no transformation. They really missed an opportunity to make this one a stellar figure. Oh, and with the glued on shoulder pads he can't hold the shield he comes with. It can loosely fit into the hole in the middle of the shoulder pad, but looks really stupid there. Besides that, I still recommend this one. 

 BS-37 Mantarei! One of the characters in the manga I have been dying to get. As one of the higher up members of the Death Heart Pirates, he should be a welcome addition to anyone's collection.

 The figure is gorgeous, with some great detailing and those nice splashes of red really popping from the blue armor.

 This one is a little different from the others in that he looks like a whole animal just resting on top of a suit of armor. All the others actually look like they are wearing their suits, so from the side it is a little funky. It is by no means a deal breaker, and I think this is in my top 5 for the whole series.

 BS-38 Gueru, the grunt soldiers under Aladile in the anime version. I was a little sad they are nameless masses for 2 reasons: the original Battle Beast frog was one of my favorites and he kinda reminded me of Frog from Chrono Trigger.

The sculpt is pretty swell throughout, with nice rivets and plates comprising the armor. The prototypes had a metallic silver for the armor, which I thought looked out of place with the rest of the line, but the production figure is just flat grey. So it fits in well with the others, but individually comes off a little dull. As a rank-and-file foot soldier this is fine, but I still imagine him as a Masamune wielding hero.

This is my first attempt at reviewing the figures, so if it goes well, I may add a bit more of this into the card translations I get to.

BS10 Moreek Beast Saga Card Translation

 

Moreek, Sky Warriors, Middle Wave Soldier

"Someone powerful, yet flexible, is a natural force..."

Special Move: Shadow Sonic. His Psycho Lot appears like the Kamaitachi, an attack delivered by the wind.

Beast Data
Beast Type: Bat
Likes: Just Balance
Dislikes: Sound Sleep
Wins, Losses, Draws: Data Unavailable

"Obedient and Honest" to "Rude and Vulgar", his split personality spontaneously changes on the spot. This guy holds the title "Aide to Home Minister of the Kingdom of Gloria"?!

Owlmighty's note: "He is an excellent aide to Minister Mindrill. More than that, I have nothing else to say..."

Translator's  notes:
This one was a bit of a pain, mostly because I am confused by Moreek's political affiliations. All mentions of his job with Gloria Kingdom are in the present tense, so maybe his split personality holds two jobs, one as a mammal with Gloria and one as a winged animal with the Sky Warriors. Is he torn between these loyalties, or is he a spy? It is vague on the card, but it makes him a more interesting character.
His name is a portmanteau of part of the Japanese word for bat "Kōmori" and "eek" the onomatopoeia for a bats voice. an English translation of that would be something like "Batscreech", not really all that cool sounding. Also, The Kamaitachi are Japanese spirits, Google it and the pictures will tell you all you need to know.
And thanks to the poster Moreek. Since you were the first commenter on my blog I did this one for you. I think I will do Wolfen, my favorite, next!

Takara Tomy Beast Saga Q&A English Translation part 1

To go along with the rules translation, here is the first half of the Ver.1.5 Q&A that came in the BS-21 Goldar Deck. If there is still anything unclear on these points, feel free to comment and I will try to address them.

1. What is a Dice Battle? A battle between two players using a Deck.
2. What is a Deck? 3 Beast figures, their corresponding cards and Battle Lots and the appropriate number of Magic Lot are a Deck.
3. What is a Battle Lot? The Die with the Beast's characteristic emblem. The emblem corresponds to one specific Beast only.  
4. What is a Magic Lot? Dice with various magical effects. They are used to affect the values of the Battle Lots. All Beasts can use any Magic Lot.
5. What is the Beast Card? It is the Beast's characteristic card. it has Battle Lot value, available Magic Lot value and various intelligence data printed on back.
6. In the dice battle, how do you determine winner and loser? The player that defeats all 3 of their opponent's Beasts after repeated turns is the overall winner.
7. Is it ok to freely choose Beasts for a Deck? Yes. Please make a Deck with any Beasts you like.
8. Can I use 2 of the same Beast in a Deck? Yes, you are free to make any Deck you like. .
9. Can I use a Beast and a different version of the same Beast in a Deck? Yes, but in this situation the combination of Battle Lot and Beast Card must be used with corresponding Beast figures.
10. Can I use multiple of the same Magic Lot in a Deck? Yes. Add the Magic Lot values on the 3 Beast Cards and you may choose any Magic Lot up to that total.
11. When a Beast is placed in the Drop Area is the Deck's Magic Lot total reduced? No. Once you finish set-up and start battle the Magic Lot Total does not change.
12. What is a "Special Ability?" The Special power some Beasts have, denoted by extra rules printed on the card face.
13. When can I use a Special Ability? In the Target Phase. Tap applicable cards to the right to activate.
14. How many times in a Dice Battle can a Special Ability be used? Each beast with a Special Ability can use it one time per Dice Battle.