Issue 1: Asakusa posted:

Try the Ise Special, Honeyed Rice Cakes!
With the delicious aroma of rice, a hardy crunch, and a sweetness that fills the mouth, the Honeyed Rice Cake is Available in Asakusa for the first time ever!
Said to have been first sold in the town outside of Ise Shrine by an official of Kinoshita, this snack has a light flavor that will appeal to people of all ages and really sticks to the ribs.
Could something that good truly exist, you ask? If you don't believe it, come line up at a food stall in Asakusa and see for yourself. But beware, you may find yourself drawn to Senso-ji every day for another bite!

Issue 2: Asakusa posted:

Who Dwells in the Haunted House?
Set on a back street in the residential area of Asakusa, this "haunted house" doesn't have a single ghost inside. But it's so shabby that the house itself might turn into a ghost!
Rumours say that a young man started living in this ramshackle, old house not too long ago, so I asked around to see what kind of weirdo this guys is. Inside there's apparently a book that can fly, the laughing voice of a girl that shouldn't be there, and the sounds of swinging swords night after night...
Maybe I shouldn't have asked in the first place! Well, I certainly won't be going near that spooky place again.

Issue 3: Yoshiwara posted:

Takao Dayu the 2nd, a Femme Fatale?
Though not spoken of outside the gates, rumors stirring in Yoshiwara say a lord drew his sword on Takao Dayu for not bending to his will.
True or not, there is no shortage of jealous fools who would spread lies about the number on courtesan of Yoshiwara. On the other hand, some lords are so obsessed with Dayu that they'd happily empty their coffers for her.
With news of another family scandal involving the pleasure quarter recently making the rounds in Edo, it might be best to take drinking and women in moderation - fly too close to the sun and you might get burned.

Issue 4: Okachimachi posted:

Soldiers on the Road to Success
Do you ever wonder when the area south of Kan'ei-ji, situated on the north-east of Edo Castle, earned the name Okachimachi, 'Soldier Town'? The origin of the name is clear enough - it refers to the many residences in the area for low-ranking samurai foot soldiers. But did you know other people live there as well?
There's the Osakite-gumi, in charge of Edo Castle's security and keeping the peace around town (and who are hated for the rough attitudes and eagerness to draw their swords), and the mounted Goshoinban-gumi, who act as guards for the Shogun and are galloping full speed towards promotion.
It might not be obvious based on their dress, but you'll surely be able to tell which group they belong to by the look on their faces. I'd avoid going near the Osakite-gumi if I were you.

Issue 6: Suidobashi posted:

Clean Water Thanks to the Waterworks
Our thirsts are quenched by virtue of the Kanda Waterworks, which draws water from Inokashira Pond and brings it straight to Edo.
It evidently used to be called Koishikawa Waterworks long ago when they drew water from the Koishikawa River. In any case, water shortages continue to grow as the number of people living in Edo increases. Every resident in Edo must have wondered at least once what would happen if a big fire broke out...
Fortunately, the authorities have plans for a new waterworks. It seems they intend to draw water from the Tamagawa in the west and send it all the way to Okido in Yotsuya. Construction could get started as early as next year, and that would certainly take a load off many minds.

Issue 7: Torikoe posted:

A Prince Enshrined
South of Asakusa stands the Torikoe Shrine. The principal deity is the ancient hero Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, after whom the shrine's old name, Shiratori, 'White Birds,' was apparently taken.
Just between you and me, but before the illustrious Ieyasu began his rule in Edo, the entirety of Asakusa running along Sumidagawa belongs to the shrine. Afterwards, Mount Torikoe was leveled, and all the ponds were filled in to build the Asakusa rice granaries. And of the three shrines that used to be here, this last remaining one is said to have only been spared due to the desperate pleas of the head priest. The government might have needed the land, but there's still something sad about it all.
It'd be nice if they held a big festival like Kanda Shrine does. We'd need a flashy portable shrine to match that Edo spirit!

Issue 9: Yanagiware posted:

Yanagawara Protects Edo from Ogres
Did you know there's a place full of willows along the Kanda River called Yanagiwara Embankment? Apparently those willows were planted around two hundred years ago. That's all the way back when Ota Douken had the old Edo Castle built!
Looking from the castle, that embankment would be to the northeast - an unlucky direction of evil spirits. Yanagimori Shrine was supposedly built there to welcome the Fushimi Inari deity all the way from Kyoto, and the willow trees were planted to ward off evil.
Willows don't break under the wind, so we humans should also learn to bend like the willow tree.

Issue 11 posted:

Look Who's Strutting Around Akasaka
In Akasaka, the famed Kii Tokugawa family owns a spare residence in one of the best housing areas in Edo. Those of you in the know might have heard this already, but a group of Chinese are staying there. Even more, there seems to be some bigwig named Koxinga among them. He's apparently called that because he was permitted to use the same family name as the Ming Emperor. Of course, Koxinga isn't actually the emperor's name; that word means something like 'Lord of the Imperial Surname.'
I don't know if this has anything to do with this particular gentleman, but there are rumors in Akasaka that a flute can be heard playing in the Chinese residence on nights when the moon is beautiful. They say the flutist must be a strikingly beautiful woman or man. If it's true, I'd like to take a look for myself.

Issue 12: Nihonbashi posted:

Whitebait or Kudzutai?
Have you ever visited Uogashi in Nihonbashi? Fish, fish, and more fish line the stores from front to back. Just one look will have you smacking your lips.
What draws the most eyes, though, is either the beautifully translucent whitebait or the sea bream with its shiny scales. Both used to be luxury items that us commoners could never eat.
When the great Ieyasu was still around, catching whitebait for any purpose other than offering them to the Shogun was forbidden. Sea bream caught using special fishing nets made in Futtsu were called Kudzutai and became offerings to the Shogun as well.
Now that such delicacies have become available to folks like us, I'd say things have changed for the better.

Issue 13: Akasaka posted:

Three Thousand Monks Gather at Zojo-ji
Though famous for Lord Hidetada's grave, Zojo-ji is reportedly more important amongst trainee monks for its status as the first entry on a list of eighteen temples, called Kanto Danrin, where they can train. That would make Zojo-ji the most important temple in eastern Japan.
You should go see for yourself sometime, but Zojo-ji is surrounded by small wood-shingled dwellings that the monks use for their dormitories. There's said to be over a hundred cabins and around the same number of temples. I hired a bored fellow to count the number of monks there, but he gave up after going past three thousand.

Issue 14: Shinagawa posted:

Shinagawa, Lovely in Every Season
If Nihonbashi is the beginning of the Tokaido Highway, then Shinagawa is the first post station. Many travelers visit the sprawling town that stretches in both directions down the road, and daimyo on their way to and from Edo customarily stay at the Shinagawa Inns. Moreover, the scenery can be enjoyed across all four seasons, so Edo's citizens also have fond memories of their own.
Spring brings us the cherry blossoms of Gotenyama. In the summer, people gather on the night of July 26th to watch the moon for Tenno Festival. Kaian-ji becomes a vibrant sea of red leaves in the fall. And in winter, you can enjoy the bounties of the sea. I think you, dear reader, must have been to Shinagawa several times already, yes?
That reminds me, execution grounds have been built nearby at Suzugamori. It still hasn't been used yet, but I wonder who will be the first to lose their life there...

quote:

rather significant amount of material published for it in a lot of mediums.

Jossar posted:

As somebody who used to be a really big Fate fan but has been out of the loop for a few years, this seems like a fun way to get back into it. Will be watching with interest.

Rigged Death Trap posted:

A severe understatement

Whammiewazzle posted:

I had only played the two Musou like Fate gates from Marvelous before playing this one, so I'm happy to watch someone with more Fate knowledge play through it. Also, for anyone thinking of playing this themselves, don't start on hard difficulty like I did, the amount of increased damage enemies do is insane.

Jossar posted:

As somebody who used to be a really big Fate fan but has been out of the loop for a few years, this seems like a fun way to get back into it. Will be watching with interest.

Hunt11 posted:

Should be fun watching series newcomers and old hands react to this game.

McTimmy posted:

It's wild coming back every so often to check out what's shaking.

Cloacamazing! posted:

It's kind of weird to have him fight on the same level as a servant in the beginning, I guess Saber was conserving strength for the actual fight?

NullBlack posted:

I think the excuse, for this game at least, is that the world was still magic enough or mythic enough that living people could be as big of badasses as the Servants. In the modern age, the "mythic-ness" has decreased significantly (thanks a lot cameras, news investigation, and internet), so living people are push-overs compared to Servants.

I'm probably getting some of this wrong; I'm going by memory of what a friend of mine who plays a lot of Fate told me.

FractalSandwich posted:

Not knowing anything about this game or Fate in general: you can tell Saber's from a long time ago even by Edo standards just by looking at her. The sword on her back (not the one she fights with, which goes way off into fantasy land) is straight rather than curved, and I'm not an expert on historical Japanese fashion, but her clothes look much older to me, too. I noticed that right away, but I thought I might be reading too much into it. I always feel a little silly paying attention to details like that in a game with wizards and magical laser beams in it.

TheLastRoboKy posted:

Yeah, the guessing part of the servants is one of my favourite parts of the franchise.

Shei-kun posted:

Which I hope is a running gag of sorts that doesn't get overplayed. Just the first impressions of people who know Iori seeing them together and going "oh you sly dog" but not constantly insisted upon or thrust into our faces.

Tarezax posted:

By the way, Saber pacing around Iori at the beginning of episode 2 is a reference to the first episode of the Fate/Zero anime, where two characters similarly deliver exposition to another character about the rules of the Holy Grail War while pacing in a circle.

Draga posted:

The Lone Badger posted:

Should I describe the difference between Magecraft and Magic, or would that be spoilers?

TheLastRoboKy posted:

I kinda already did in the first episode. It's very much the shortest explanation possible when I did it but honestly the game never goes into the big weird stuff like The Root and so forth.